The Emperor's New Groove: Montezuma's Revenge
by Jezzikins
Summary: A few years have passed and Kuzco thinks he's finally got the hang of this benevolent ruler shtick... well besides the usual humdrum and setbacks of politics. But when a new threat comes a knocking, he has to look back at his past once again... and combat the demons he's inherited. Please R&R
1. The Jaguar's Paw

The Emperor's New Groove: Montezuma's Revenge

Act One: The Jaguar's Paw

 _ **Long ago, somewhere in a kingdom far away**_ _…_

The sky was painted a dark azure, deeper than the most spacious oceans, dimmed by the abundance of thick storm clouds rolling over the curvature of a massive palace's golden roof. These were not natural storm clouds however. Sure, they bled with thunder, lightning and rain… slowly bellowing overhead, but they served as harbingers of a more sinister apparition arising on the horizon. Trails of vivid blue static illuminated the skies as the wind howled in unison with the guttural growls from an enormous shadowy figure… a creature hardly recognizable against the backdrop below save for those translucent glowing red eyes, as it climbed higher onto the building. Normally, the shining Mesoamerican fortress would seem intimidating in its own right - an impressive edifice guised as a stylized visage overlooking its subjects from a steep hilltop seat - but now its radiance was blotted out by scores of living shadows creeping higher.

The myriad of people gathered in the wet, bleak, twisting city streets looked up in shock and awe; their symbol of the kingdom overtaken by this monster. The countless stairways leading to the effigy were drowned in darkness… and all seemed lost in this depressing atmosphere.

A resonating roar issued from the creature, resounding its intent, but it paused when yet another figure appeared on the scene. A young rain-drenched fallen king - his once elaborate robes of crimson and saffron tattered and billowing against soaring winds - stood as an affront to it. His reedy shape threatened to topple over against the weight of the gales and his long sopping black hair framed his slowly-becoming-despondent expression.

 _AND PAUSE!_

Um…. What?

 _Thanks, you did an excellent job with that astounding visual opening there, but I think I can handle it from here…_

But… I'm the writer…

 _Aw, poor baby. Well this story IS about me isn't it?_

Well, yeah, it is.

 _Then I think it's pretty obvious YOU need to take a hike, sister! I mean, what do you think you're trying to pull here? Really…? Would you take a gander at that guy… he's washed up (literally)… and broken… a far cry from the powerful emperor he should be, right?_

That's kinda the idea, ya know. It's called a 'fake out'.

 _Well I don't like it. You could've picked a better place to start._

Alright… well you know how this ends so just go ahead and do your riff-style commentary like you like to do…

 _Thank you…_

 _Yep, it's me again… Emperor Kuzco!.. in yet another life-threatening situation. It's funny, they worship you like a God but they don't tell you about the countless death threats or in this case, giant shadowy figures, you'll come in contact with… No! It just comes with the territory of being Emperor. So yeah, I guess you're probably wondering how THIS PARTICULAR exploit came to pass…? Well for the answer to that, we have to go back a bit…_

The llama emperor and his newly found best friend embraced, happily rejoicing at their victory of securing the human-transforming potion.

 _NO, no… we did that already…!_

It was a beautiful sunny day in Pacha's village. Kids played in the shallow pools below as adults enjoyed a nice picnic on the riverbank - catering provided by Kronk and the staff of Mudka's Meat Hut.

 _Okay… no… but I think you're getting warmer…._

Upon the outlying roadways of the hilly terrain, a black jaguar stalked the sight before him. Massive paws kneaded the patchy earth, gleaming eyes darted to and fro, and hot breath seared past drool-laced fangs as he led an enigmatic group - five sets of bead-shackled sandaled feet following closely behind into the fringes of the far-reaching empire.

 _Oh yeah! Here's a good place to start!_

The air had a slight haze to it, nothing too unusual... though it left a lingering tinge of grey. Their destination, the vibrant monolith of the palace, was visible above a scattering of thin clouds in the distance - a beacon from the mists.

Approaching this palace, you'd see several two-toned painted guards lined at the entrance, alert - well most of them anyway. There are the occasional one or two that are picking their nose or staring into the sky dreaming about how it might've been like to have taken that job as an osteologist. At the current time, within the sunlit throne room, a steady stream of grievances could be heard as a shaky old man dressed in periwinkle read aloud from a thick stack of parchments tied together in ribbons.

From atop his large outcropped throne, the young emperor slunk back with his lips pursed together and strummed his fingers against the armrests - the very picture of boredom. As he listened, an angled black brow raised impulsively.

"…So, in conclusion, your highness," Rudy cleared his throat, "It would seem to reason that every eatery or public place in the kingdom have a special lift or cart for us senior citizens to accommodate our weak knees. I mean, do you realize how hard it is for us to get up all these stairs!?"

 _I try to be a good leader and all, listening to the multitude of complaints and problems from the citizens… but you never really get used to it…_

"Rudy, I'm not the one who constructed this city ya know…" He groaned and slunk back further, allowing his semicircular crown to droop toward his face.

"Of course, of course, but they do say change is good…" the old man cheerfully replied.

A tuft of sable hair poked out from underneath Kuzco's sliding crown. After a moment, he slumped forward to fix it, throwing his hands to his knees and blew at his bangs. The rest of his hair swept from behind his ears and traveled down his back slightly past his shoulder blades - tied loosely toward the end by a red strip that danced with every motion of his head.

"Tsk tsk, Rudy… I'm surprised…" He shook his head, eager to try a new approach, "I really would've thought someone of your generation would WANT to keep the old traditions and history behind this kingdom. Don't you think, by MY interfering with the way things are built, it…mmm…might go against all of that?"

"Hmm…" Rudy put a bony digit to his chin and tapped in thought. "Yeah - but I don't care - now if I could have your attention on the matter of trash collection…!"

 _YOU SEE! Some people are never satisfied._

Meanwhile, the troupe of strangers made their way through the increasingly busy walkways. Merchants and travelers frequented the capital city often, but none gathered quite as many stares or responses as this group did. Besides the unusual choice of a massive unleashed jaguar as a pet (at which many were taken aback by), the five figures were draped in the dark fur of their animal counterpart - long robes of it melding into various other pelts enveloping their lower extremes. A hood made from the head of the jaguar pelt graced their faces; their dark eyes peering through the same sockets the animal itself had once seen through and ornate headdresses of different feathers fraying from behind the ears. They varied in size and shape - a particular one with a few pouches tied at the hip seemed to be quite small and curvy, one was obviously a muscle-bound behemoth while another thinner one brandished a twisted staff, and yet another crooked-looking fellow jittered around slightly. But they all wore ceremonial feathered shields tied to their backs, beads and assorted furs adorning their spindly legs. Their feet, along with what little skin was shown, was covered in mud and paint barely visible through bits and pieces; dry fragments clung to their coated toes poking out knotted straw sandals. As appearances dictated… they seemed to be a rough bunch.

The way they strode into town, all in a row, as if to announce their arrival as something significant, told the other passersby to stay clear. Their faces may not have been visible, but it was evident by their strides that they were of a warrior class.

A hush fell through the city as they made their way inward. Nothing but frightened looks and confusion painted the villagers' faces. As if to incite the response further, the jaguar hissed and swiped toward any that came too close. His luminous yellow eyes darted through the plethora of potential targets, but one made his maw salivate all too easily. A meek looking llama with mottled fur and a notched ear shook against its restraints; captive by the reins that held him to his potato-farmer owner's cart. The jaguar let out an intimidating roar and pounced. People nearby scattered and screamed… and the alerted vendor and his llama clung to each other, shrieking in terror. But just as the big cat hurtled toward them, he was yanked back and pulled to the ground.

A toned arm painted in amber resin had emerged from one of the travelers' cloaks and large claws covering the gnarled fingers were locked in a firm grip around the animal's tail.

"Down, Huaca… it's not time to feast just yet…" A deep scratching voice issued from the figure. He turned his limber form to the two cowering. "I'm sorry… he, like the rest of us…is just anxious to dine on the spoils of this kingdom…" He leaned forward, his toothy grin now visible to the quivering merchant and beast of burden. "…but… we can wait…"

The merchant gulped.

"Hey! You there!" a sharp cry rang out. The figure blinked and slowly turned his head. The rest of the jaguar gang stiffened up as they saw a guard approaching, however cautiously, with his spear drawn in front of him. A group of villagers were glued to his back, muttering frantically.

"I can't allow you to go any further into the city with that animal running about." The hard-nosed stiff barked. "If you don't want it put down, I suggest you restrain it… or leave. And do it quickly." A couple more identical soldiers began to file into the square.

Huaca's master lifted himself up and casually turned to face them. The villagers looked on curiously. He let a smirk grace his face. "… then again… we HAVE waited long enough…."

Looks of surprise were mirrored by everyone as a huge silhouette blanketed the crowd.

Back in the palace, Kuzco groaned in his seat and rubbed his temple.

"…and on the notion of summons deliveries…" Rudy persisted, " the scrolls are a little hard to open with my arthritis. If we could get the ribbons to be a little less taut, that would be much appreciated…"

"If… he doesn't shut up…." Kuzco muttered to himself.

"…oh! And the writing is a little unclear sometimes, maybe hire a new scribe while you're at it…"

Just as the emperor was about to loose it, he was interrupted by a cheerful squeak from behind. The squirrel, Bucky, chattered in amusement.

"Oh, ha ha ha… laugh all you want, Bucky… you're not the one who has to sit here for hours listening to this drivel."

"Hi there, Kuzco~!" Small voices chimed in unison as Pacha and Chicha's tikes popped out from behind either side of his throne.

"Whoa-oh… mites in the palace - I better call an exterminator." They laughed at his joke as they walked around to face him.

Chacka, on the left, currently wore a long-sleeved orange dress with a cord fastening it around the waist. Her hair was intertwined with ribbons as two locks of braids hung down in front of her. On her back, she toted the toddler Yupi in a bunched up in a carrying cloth fastened at her shoulders, who playfully grabbed her braids as if he was reining a llama. Tipo, on the right, was looking a lot like a younger version of his dad these days, complete with a trademark green poncho just his size. His short black hair bounced as he exuberantly jumped up and down.

"I caught a fish today by myself and then we gutted it." his face shifted. "It was gross."

"…And I lost yet another tooth!" Chacka whistled.

"You might want to watch it, Chacka. Pretty soon you'll be like gramps down there and have none…" Kuzco joked. She smiled in response, showing several gaps. "Hm.. Down there… wait! How'd you all get up here?"

"We climbed." They both answered, with an added "duh" from Chacka.

"Uh…huh…maybe I SHOULD invest in some lifts… I wouldn't want you all to fall… not to mention, your parents probably wouldn't like it very much either. Wasn't Kronk supposed to be watching you today?"

"There you kids are!" Kronk arrived on cue. "Haha, we haven't concluded our baking lessons yet…"

Bucky perched himself from the throne onto Kronk's shoulder, chirping happily. The big guy was decked out in the paint of an imperial guard which clashed heavily with the pink frilly apron he was wearing over his robes.

"But Kronk," Tipo whined, "we just wanted to give Kuzco some of our cookies!"

"Cookie!" Yupi pipped. He reached into the satchel and offered up a smaller bag.

Kuzco picked it up. "Aww… you guys…" He pulled the drawstring open and pulled out a cookie.

"Uh, K-Kuzco…" Kronk stammered.

Kuzco popped it in his mouth and was instantly met with a retching sensation. He struggled against the disgusting and dry flavor, covering his mouth in response.

Kronk winced. "Yeah… it was their first try…" He uttered in Kuzco's ear.

"Mm..mm..m… gah…" Kuzco swallowed through streaming tears. "De..li…cious…" He hacked up crumbs, ready to toss his own cookies.

Chacka looked on in astonishment. "Wow! He likes 'em so much, he's crying!"

"Give him another!" Tipo urged.

"NO! No…no…." The children looked puzzled at Kuzco's response. "I …wouldn't want to spoil my appetite…!"

The children seemed pleased with this and shrugged.

Outside, six shadows streamed across the cobblestone road, enigmatic shapes unhindered by anything - zipping along the ground like magic controlled purveyors of disaster. One by one, those who were touched by these mystic apparitions fell to their knees under a weight of grief, as if some cold hand had pulled all the happiness from them. Villagers and soldiers in pursuit issued no threat to the intangibles either. They too were covered in darkness as the trail before them erupted with the hollow screams of a mass of shades - opaque demonic creatures. Slowly but steadily, the mounting sea of shadows made its way up the green slopes, the rocky terrain, toward the golden steps that the palace was perched upon. Bounding ahead, their speed was unreachable, leaving their trackers to suffocate in the wake of wraiths slowly spreading outward.

Dark wisps sprung over the precipice that began the entrance into the palace - six pillars of obscurity grew up from the vertical incline. Stairways and walls lined with duo-dyed soldiers stirred as the figures landed before them. The red banners erected along the steps wafted against the icy gale that gushed forward.

The shadowy forms wriggled into their coherent shapes, brushing off their inscrutable façades. Yellow eyes and white fangs bared from the large felid creature at the front while the cloaked others approached confidently.

"Halt!" A guard cried out. "W-whatever you are… y-you are not allowed here without clearance from the emperor!"

"Clearance…?" The leader chuckled, twirling a clawed hand. "Oh we'll GET clearance…"

Chacka tisked at Rudy still rambling…

"…these floors are too slippery… someone could trip and sprain their ankle…"

While Tipo climbed into the throne with Kuzco. "My birthday's coming up soon." The boy replied.

"Oh yeah, already? How old are you going to be..?" Kuzco asked. Time sure did fly. "…a hundred?"

"What… nooooo! Seven!" He giggled.

"Really, now? Hm… maybe for you're birthday, I'll let YOU be emperor for a day." He placed his crown on the kid's head, the weight drooping over his eyes. "Sure would beat ME having to sit here."

"Heh heh I'd be like.. 'I'm the Emperor… Praise me!" He puffed his chest out and Chacka laughed, joining the play.

"Wooow, you sure are awesome, Emperor Tipo!"

"Yeah.." Kronk added, winking at Bucky on his shoulder and then at the kids, "Maybe even more than Kuzco…"

"Okay lets not get the boy's hopes up." Kuzco joshed.

Yupi cooed from Chacka's back. "Tipo not emper'r. He poo."

"What! I am not 'poo'!" The older brother returned.

"Mhm… Poo!" He then gave his sibling a look like 'so there.'

Chacka bounced the bag gently, just enough to startle the younger. "Yupi, not nice."

Tipo's face curled in disdain and it was evident he was ready to fire back some zinger.

"Okay okay…" Kuzco intervened, placing his crown back upon his own head. He couldn't help but smile at the funny children. Sibling rivalries was something he never had to deal with. "No fighting in the throne room…"

Just then, his attention was garnered by a frantic commotion outside. Within the halls, many servants dashed through, scrambling in and out of quarters. One of the interior guards sprinted past the main entrance doors, crying out and motioning to the other guards he saw. Puzzled looks and notions abounded as they ran towards the front of the palace to fight the unseen foe. Kuzco and the others stared toward the throne room doorway with curiosity, unaware of the turmoil beyond.

Rudy was unperturbed by the clamor though even as the throne room subjects and guards sifted past him, herded by a soldier.

"Sire!" the man threw himself down into a bow. "Intruders… in the palace!"

"WHAT!"

"We're trying to stop them but it's… like they're demons…!"

Just then, as if some invisible force rocketed them, a mountain of guards burst through the doorway flying through the air. Their bodies hurtled, flopping against the floor and walls with sickening sounds. Shrieks issued from unseen victims behind them. Kuzco and the others jumped in alarm.

"Uh oh…" Kronk replied, as he grabbed a lance from behind the throne. "this could get bad…" He threw his apron off over his shoulder and Bucky squeaked in agreement, standing alert with his tiny fists drawn.

Kuzco gave the kids an urgent look. "You three hide behind the throne."

"But…"

"Do it." They did.

He looked toward his men laying on the floor twisting in pain, the servants cowering in a corner, then anxiously at the entrance where cries of terror dwindled to an uncomfortable silence. He felt his heart beating in his ears. What was happening here? He desperately wanted to know how those beyond the entrance were faring, but panic glued him to his seat… and even if it hadn't he doubted he'd get very far. What kind of opponents could send the guards soaring into the air? Whoever these invaders were, it was obvious that they… were not normal.

The room suddenly grew dim and foreboding as if the sun had been blotted out. A chill overtook them all - their breath becoming visible. What was this? Black magic?

Through the bubble of bleakness, intimidating figures emerged, striding toward the elevated throne. Kuzco was sure his heart stopped.

From below, one of the soldiers struggled, his body pitted with nasty bruises and scrapes and his disposition greatly depressed. "We…couldn't stop them…"

"Yeah…. I… see that…" Kuzco almost said 'Thanks for the update' but figured sarcasm would further damper the already suffering guy's spirits. "Just relax there, buddy…." The man collapsed in a heap and Kuzco could not contain the look of concern. Kronk urged forward, stiffening his lip. He twittered something to Bucky who dashed off out of sight.

"Word's been sent to my militia…" he whispered to the emperor, his eyes transfixed on the scene before them. "They'll be here in no time."

Kuzco looked up. "You sure they can take these guys?"

"Aw yeah. They're awesome." Kronk broke a confident smile.

"Well, I know that and all… but uh… "

"Don't worry there, chief." Kronk quietly interjected, still not meeting his gaze. "Our job's to protect and serve you and that's what we're going to do."

There was some real weight behind those words.

"Whatever you say, pal…"

The jaguar's roar reverberated from below. The other five individuals formed a triangle behind him. The one directly behind the animal, his owner, lifted a mud-caked hand ending in black claw-like nails to cease the others. He walked passed Huaca with a sly, gleaming grin breaking across his mug. The rest of his face may have been hidden behind the jaguar headdress, but he still managed a look of annoyance as his head perked up abruptly… at the sound of an old voice accosting him.

"Excuse me, um…sir!" Oh no! Rudy! Kuzco had completely forgotten he was still down there. "I'm having an audience with the emperor right now… So, if you could just come back some other ti-"

With a swift movement, Rudy was batted to the side like nothing - knocked into the rest of the cowering subjects who toppled like pins.

Irritation snapped Kuzco out of any fear he had and words spewed from his mouth before he could control himself. "HEY! What's your deal? Just whatta ya think you're dong barging in here and then smacking the old guy? I mean, yeah, he IS kinda annoying… but you didn't have to smack him…!"

"My apologies… you're majesty…" the other's words, gravelly, were laced with bitterness, "I GUESS I did get carried away." He shrugged. "I just didn't wish there to be anymore delays." He flung his arms out melodramatically.

"Well, whatever you are, you definitely have my attention NOW." Kronk had to hold him back.

The figure grimaced but continued. "I…no, WE… have been waiting a long time to meet the illustrious emperor of the Four Regions…heh heh." He cackled madly.

"Eh 'heh heh'.." Kuzco mocked. "Wow, if you all were anymore clichéd evil I'd think you'd have your own lightning effects..."

"Eh… beg your pardon?" His brow furrowed. "You don't realize who you're talking to…"

"Oh no no, you're right. I don't. So please… PLEASE, enlighten me with, I'm sure, the eloquent introduction monologue you have prepared…"

"You are absolutely right, my young emperor!" He threw his fit arm forward, pointing a claw and flung back his hood to reveal a severely burned scarred face of caramel-colored skin with a black band painted across bulging eyes and globular schnoz, surrounded by splotches of dried red around his profile down to his neck blanketed in dark unkempt dreds of hair. His elephant ears were notched and along their edges were many asymmetrical piercings.

 _Aw geez! This guy could give Yzma a run for her money!_

"I am Montezuma, of the Jaguar Warriors!" He roared. "My men and I have traveled here far from the north, making a name for ourselves amongst the tributaries as the most fearsome of warrior priests! We serve under the great Tezcatlpoca, lord of darkness, as envoys to his vengeance against those that harmed our kingdom…" He shook a fist wildly.

"Whoa… okay there Crazy, calm down. What are you going on about? I don't know a-ny-thing about a northern kingdom or this 'tackypocky' guy…"

"His name is Tezcatlpoca!" He screamed.

"Yeah okay, him, whoever… dunno…" Kuzco rolled his eyes, getting increasingly more annoyed. "What _exactly_ does this all have to do with me?"

"Well, I admit, it doesn't have much to do with you really. In fact, I was actually expecting someone else… someone older… to be inhabiting the throne… but I guess I can't be too picky. Either way, we carry an important proposition to the Emperor."

Kuzco narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Okay, spill it."

"It's not complicated really." He sighed and twirled his hand in the air. "Just give up your seat… and your life… and no one ELSE has to get hurt."

Kuzco caught his breath along with the rest of the onlookers. For a moment, they were frozen in shock. Kuzco stayed firm but his eyes nervously darted around the room. Upon seeing his people's horrified looks however, he knew he couldn't show his own anxiety. He chuckled heartily as Kronk cracked a nervous smile, not really understanding. "That's funny… did you hear that, Kronk? It's like they're declaring war on the kingdom or something…" He slapped his leg in feigned humor. "Haha, oh man… you guys are good. That has GOT to be the funniest thing I've heard all day!" He wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Shoo… do you realize how often I have to deal with death threats and psychos like you?" He spied the bewildered looks on their half-covered mugs. "I'll give you a hint. It's A LOT."

The jaguar leader looked around and then at the other five situated behind him who shook their heads in equal confusion. "I don't think you completely comprehend who's ACTUALLY in control of this situation. You only see what's before you, but beyond that entrance way there…" He extended a clawed hand behind him, toward the doorway, "Well… you could say your empire has already fallen…" He let a hoarse laugh escape. "Did you forget how easily we dispatched your guards?"

"Hm, yeah?" Kuzco nonchalantly wriggled a finger in his ear, then flicked a piece of wax off into the distance. "Well here's something YOU don't seem to comprehend? All that yap-yapping you're doing…? Yeah, that's kinda stupid. Because, yeah, you may have taken out all of the front guards, but uh…" He snapped his fingers and a horde more of guards surrounded the interior of the room lickety-split. "There's plenty more where they came from and the thing is; they're a lot tougher than those guys. Or… so I've been told…"

These hulking masses of testosterone seethed with bloodlust and brandished a multitude of weapons consisting of flails and swords. Their outfits were not like the other imperial guards' - purely skinned animal hides wrapped about their waists and their war paint consisted of black and indigo stripe patterns. These men towered over the rest of the attendants in the room like giants. Kronk sure knew how to pick 'em.

Bucky scampered back to Kronk's shoulder and chirped in salute. "Right on time, guys! Great job, Bucky," Kronk cheerfully replied, returning the squirrel's high-five with his index finger. He then turned to Kuzco "Good timing on that snap…"

"Of course, I'm the Emperor, hello?" He gloated. "I always make good cues."

"Ohhhh wait! I get it, you were just trying to buy them some time, weren't ya?"

Kuzco looked at him. "No Kronk, I just like mouthing off to a group of psychotic sorcerers…"

"Oh okay then…" He replied, not getting the gist of sarcasm.

Kronk's militia let out hollers and pounced. "For the empire!" One by one, the titans converged on the jaguar warriors, throwing themselves into battle.

The five and their cat braced for the retaliation, the leader lifting his scarred head back toward the emperor. "I take it that your answer's a … 'no' ?"

Montezuma swung his arms out and on command, a swirling vortex of shadow swept out from underneath them. "Consider your empire now doomed to the same fate you will face…!" The twirling shadow bloomed out a menagerie of ghastly spirits which split off toward the various opponents. Kuzco worriedly watched as the militia dodged and evaded with expertise, but the well-trained soldiers could not attack creatures that had no physical form. The dark spirits lunged toward them, and as they struck, it was almost as if the will had been taken from the men. They doubled over in despair and suddenly became shrouded in shadow themselves. One reached out toward his comrades as he was overtaken by darkness.

"It.. It's so cold! Help me!" He shrieked. Kuzco was petrified with terror. It was one thing to know these people had supernatural powers at their will… but to actually see it in action caused him to instantly regret not just giving up. As the shadows took on the guards in the dark twister, he was sure he could hear coarse maniacal laughing. His head began to spin in panic. What was he supposed to do? The Militia was their last defense.

He could vaguely hear a voice calling his name. "Kuzco!" Kronk shook him viciously. "You and the kids have to get out of here!"

What? The kids? "Whoa…" a tiny voice swooned. It was Tipo from behind the throne. "This is so awesome…"

Kuzco startled. "Yeah, okay…" He swiveled himself around the cathedra and snatched the three youngsters up. He had to get himself together. "Make sure you guys don't get killed… and save some for me. I'm sure a few decades in prison will reason those guys up." If they could even be captured...

"Haha, don't worry!" Kronk laughed as he disappeared over the incline, jumping into the foray below.

But Kuzco did worry. He worried about the guards he was leaving behind. He worried about Kronk and all the servants still captive in the corners of the room. He worried about what was left outside. But most of all, he worried about how he was supposed to get away. He didn't want to run - that wasn't his style! He wanted to be there with his men no matter the outcome, but he couldn't put the kids in danger. He grasped the rope that was secured to the side of the stairs with his free hand, slid down and quickly landed into a sprint.

Montezuma spied them escaping through the back. Amidst the commotion and turmoil of warriors getting tossed to and fro, he gracefully walked toward their exit - savoring the idea of draining all life from his enemy…

"Hey, what's up!" Kronk pushed himself in front of the slightly shorter male, brandishing his spear at his side. Montezuma looked at the big guy puzzled for a second, and then perturbed.

"Fool! Move aside!"

"Uh, no can do there. You want to get to them… you have to make it past me…" Kronk flashed that confident smile again.

Montezuma just let out an exasperated sigh and shot a wisp of shadow toward the lovable lug. Which, he dodged happily. "Oop, too slow there!" Montezuma twitched, and shot at him again; a larger shadow this time. Kronk doubled back into a flip, landing on all fours. "Nope, didn't get me there either…" Montezuma growled in aggravation and unleashed a sphere of shadows at him… then several… then a fury of furies… and with each attack, Kronk comically evaded - bumbling but swiftly. "Sorry there guy, but ah… my men and I have been trained by the animals of the forest…" he struck a pose, twirling the spear to his front. "to be as cunning as a wolf, agile as a condor… and uh…" Bucky pranced to his side, whispering something into his ear, "oh right… smart as a squirrel…"

"Well, that certainly explains a lot." Montezuma countered, throwing yet another shadowy blast from his hands. Kronk and Bucky ducked, only to allow the blast a complete bulls-eye on the unsuspecting soldier behind them that was busy fighting a two-headed shadowy serpent. The man howled in anguish as he was floored.

"Oh no… Jereld… are you okay?" Kronk rushed to his side. The other just gurgled as his skin was painted a dark grey. "Jereld… think about your wife and kids! STAY WITH ME MAN…. JERELD!" Jereld passed out. "Noooooo!"

Montezuma cried out to his feline companion. "Huaca! After the Emperor!"

The jaguar obeyed his command, sprinting off after the escapees.

"The rest of you…" He motioned to the other four cloaked ones who had been playfully biding their time zapping through the horde. "Let us take care of these hindrances first…" The rest of the militia, along with the attendants in the corner, readied themselves for what they were sure was the last day of their lives.

Kronk jerked his head toward them. "Well, drat."

Kuzco slid along the opulent corridors amassed with red and gold banners, throwing back curtains and pushing down anything he could get hold off...to maybe stave off their pursuer. Clatters echoed through the halls as statues that had been there for centuries fell. It pained him to see such beauty wasted, but there was no time to think on saving inanimate objects when there was lives to be saved.

The place seemed so empty. Where was everyone? He hoped they had just taken the cue to evacuate themselves, but he couldn't help wondering if something else had happened.

He fumbled with the kids. Chacka managed to climb onto his back with Yupi clutching the satchel, but Tipo was getting bounced up and down from underneath his arm.

"uuhh.. … I think I'm going to be sick…" He managed.

"Hey hey hey, don't be losing it right now buddy!"

A raging growl emanated from behind them and Kuzco turned his head sharply to see Huaca bounding over the obstacles after them.

Kuzco let out an alarmed scream and kicked his legs up faster than he thought he could muster. His heart was racing. His chest ached and droplets of sweat raced down his brow. One driblet went into his eye, causing him to squint, and for that brief moment he smacked right into the wall. He spun around, dazed and panicked, still hearing the jaguar behind them. He fought to gain control of where he was going through the spinning scenery, but his legs just slipped from under him against the polished floor, and he tumbled, chin first, down the following sets of stairs, losing his crown on the way. Chacka and Yupi bobbed on his back with every step and Tipo was rescued from being squashed by Kuzco's upraised arms

The jaguar watched in amusement.

One by one, the collection of steps hit him until he came to a rest at the bottom. He rubbed his chin as he feebly picked himself up. Okay, so maybe Rudy had some reason to complain after all. His crown clanged against the floor after them.

Again the jaguar's growling issued and Kuzco barely had time to react as the big cat pounced behind them. He fell back and cried out in terror, as well as the kids cowering behind his back. They were going to die. There was no way he could run now. They were going to die! The kids bawled out, snapping him back to sanity. No, he had to get them out of this. His mind sped as the feline approached little by little, drooling. Backpedaling slowly on his elbows with the children behind, Kuzco whipped a look around at the surroundings, spying an open doorway a ways behind them. His arm hit the side of his dismounted crown and his eyes widened in an idea.

"Look… You all make a run for that doorway and I'll follow…"

"What!" Chacka whispered loudly. "What if the jaguar gets you…?"

"Don't worry about it.. That's… not gonna happen…" though he wasn't sure he sounded convincing.

"No…"

"Hey, I'm the emperor! You have to do what I say remember? Now, go on!" He shoved back at them with his arm as hard as he could, propelling them onward into a run. Huaca made a mad dash toward them and Kuzco had to make his move. He grabbed his crown and swung it right as the cat leapt. The ornament beamed Huaca right in the mug and he yelped in pain and surprise. The feline preened its nose with its paw, momentarily pausing to gather himself from the affliction.

Kuzco hurriedly dashed off toward the direction he sent the kids and spied them in the opening.

"Hurry!"

"Hurry!"

He slipped inside the room just as Huaca was coming to. He yanked at the double doors. One closed, but of course the other, to his right, had to jam, caught by interference of the runner rug. Kuzco shoved at it, then kicked at it. "Oh, give me a break!" He threw his back into a push as the youngsters pulled the runner taut, causing him to fall flat on his back and the door to swing right on Huaca. The big cat slammed into the door, pitting his weight against it. Kuzco struggled to keep the door shut, heeling the rug in front of him, as the cat urged his giant paw through the opening. The young emperor put his body against the door, desperately trying to fight the cat from getting in - its paw swiping at him dangerously. With one last effort, Kuzco lunged, elbowing the doorway closed as a pain slashed against his right arm. "Yow!"

He clutched his arm and slumped against the door in pain, breathing through clenched teeth. That smarted. He couldn't actually recall a time he'd been cut. For a moment, upon realizing that he was bleeding, he thought he was going to faint.

He felt and heard the scratching of the cat's claws at his back, but the kids were on it. Nimbly, Tipo climbed into Chacka's arms as she lifted him above her head, as if a couple of acrobats, and he pushed the bolt across the door handles, locking it. Indignant cries and hisses from the other side allowed them a relieved sigh.

The youngsters looked at the older.

Chacka gasped. "You're bleeding!"

Tipo looked away quickly, "Oh…" and just lost his lunch right there, "…that did it."

"Ewwww!" the rest exclaimed.

Kuzco's face twisted. "Ugh, you couldn't have waited until we got you home?"

"Sorry… I… I'm not feeling good." Between his nerves, getting bounced around and apparently being a little squeamish, it was only a matter of time.

"Ah, don't worry about it. And this is just a scratch anyway…" Truthfully, it WAS quite a BIG 'scratch'. He lifted himself up against the pain and lumbered further into the room.

It was one of the extra living quarters, for guests or palace aides, decorated in the usual red. It was a lot smaller than his room of course, but it had all the necessities; a nice well-made bed, a vanity and a wardrobe. Everything was perfectly placed, making it seem as if no one had lived in this particular room in a while and probably hadn't. There was so many rooms in the palace that he didn't even know where half of them were or well, had cared to know.

Curtains draped over the window blew against the chilly wind. He ripped at one quickly, tearing it just enough so that he could wrap it around his wound. He tied it tight, flinching, then turned back to the kids.

"Good thing your mom's a good teacher, otherwise I'd probably have bleed to death." He joked. This seemed to lighten their mood a little. "Now…" He mused, "We… have to get out of here…" He poked his head out of the hole in the wall.

He widened his eyes in astonishment. They were still off the ground a ways but that wasn't what really caught his attention. The window peered out toward the back of the palace where several aqueducts ran down the crags of the mountain toward the interlaced town and hills below. The carved structures, monolithic engraved walls and streets were overlaid with a spectral mist, black as soot, and hardly visible. From the height he could not make out much else, but was sure that the inhabitants below were not in good condition.

His body quaked. He could not keep his hands from trembling as he clutched the windowsill. He pulled his head back inside the room, lost in his thoughts. The kingdom was in darkness. The Kingdom of the Sun was enveloped in darkness! The situation really dawned on him. These people… he didn't know who they were…but they obviously had no problem attacking anyone that got in their way, maybe even killing them. They had strange-shadow-magic-whatever-powers and from what he could tell, wanted to take over the kingdom because of some grudge they harbored …? He let his mouth get away from him too, and now everyone was in danger. He thought back to what Montezuma had uttered. 'Consider your empire now doomed to the same fate you will face… '

He gritted his teeth and let himself fall to the floor, still gripping the edge of the window. He should've just given up! What difference did running away even make? It was like 'Monty' had said, the kingdom was already taken over. He tapped his forehead against the wall repeatedly. "Stupid, stupid, stupid… we're all gonna die and it's all my fault…"

"What, we're gonna die!?" Tipo cried out. Yupi started whining and Chacka just looked back and forth, not really knowing what to do or say to comfort anyone.

"… I can't do anything… we're doomed. We either get eaten by a jaguar or swallowed by darkness…"

Chacka panted. "But… but I DON'T WANT TO DIE. I want to see Mom and Dad again!" Kuzco stopped. Chacka couldn't contain her tears anymore and started to whimper. "We all do!" The boys looked astonished at their strong big sister crying and the three of them huddled together in distress.

Kuzco blinked. Right. He wanted to see them too. He wanted them to see them.

"Okay, fine, have it your way…" He shrugged. The kids ceased and looked up confused. He snatched them up and headed toward the window. "I don't really like this idea, I hope you all know… but I figure I have a better chance of surviving a fall than I do surviving a jaguar mauling..." He took a minute to think on that but straddled the window sill. "Now, you three get on my back, hold tight as you can, don't look down and definitely don't tell me about how high off the ground we are either." The three did, through sniffles and whines. "Look you all are gonna have to stop doing that in my ear - it's making me nervous." He slowly situated his body and lowered his foot to the embossed panel below, keeping a grasp on the window. It felt way too far away. The wind blew against them and he clutched the side of the exterior wall frantically. "Oh man, I KNEW this was a bad idea…"

He crept gradually along the side of the building, his head poking just over the window panel now. Looking within the room for a second, he could barely see movement from underneath the door. Then a loud banging… and the door literally started shaking against the barred lock. He caught his breath and tried creeping faster. Horrified, his foot slipped and off went his sandal down… down… down into the darkness below. He paused and swallowed his fear.

He reached for the nearest scored decoration, but his arm hurt against his wound. He winced and the wind smashed against them again. It was picking up. He stared at the panel just out of his reach, taunting him. He stretched, fighting against the pain, not really wanting to let go of the window either as it was the only anchor he had to keep him from falling. The kids clutched his shoulders but he felt as if one was slipping.

Tipo squealed. "I think I'm falling!"

"Tipo, don't you dare!"

"I am… I am falling… HELP!" He fell.

"TIPO!" the other two screamed.

Kuzco seized him at the waist, swinging back roughly against the window. "Gah, geez, what is UP WITH YOU TODAY?" The kid looked through covered eyes, spying the distance below between his fingers and instantly started flailing. "Hey… STOP, you have to stop doing that!" Kuzco exclaimed. "Look, I got a bad arm, remember… ouch!"

Slamming from inside the room attracted him. The door flung open, the barred lock and door handles blasting off their hinges. Kuzco could go nowhere in this situation and watched in terror as a figure made their way in.

"Oh whoa! Kuzco! What are you doing there, chief!" Kronk quickly ran to the window and pulled the three back inside. Bucky chattered, still on his shoulder. Kronk patted the emperor on his back as the kids dropped to the floor. "You almost gave me a heart attack, hanging out of the window like that! Haha, crazy."

Kuzco laughed nervously. "Haha, oh man.. Yeah that WAS crazy. But at least you ran that jaguar off that was chasing us…"

Kronk looked confused. "Jaguar? Uh…?" He scratched his head in thought as Huaca appeared from behind the collapsed doors, creeping up on the group. Kuzco and the kids stared at the approaching cat, as Kronk recalled, blissfully unaware. "Hm… yeah there WAS a jaguar, wasn't there?"

Kuzco briskly spun the bloke around so that he was facing the feline. "Ohhhh…. Right. It was THIS jaguar. Yup." He stood there for a minute, just smiling. Then he blinked. Then the rest blinked. Then the cat growled. "AHHHH A JAGUAR!" Kronk flipped the bed toward the cat and pushed with all his might, knocking over everything in his wake and ramming Huaca back through the doorway. The cat was flipped hilariously down the hall and the group made a dash.

Kronk grabbed everyone up in his arms. "Hey, I got a question. Where are we running?" 

"Toward the aqueducts!" Kuzco urged.

Kronk bounded over the staircases leading out of the back of the palace. The place was dark and quiet, not a soul stirred or a sound was heard, except for Kronk's heavy breathing.

He spied a bridge overlooking one of the channels and a small fishing boat. He tossed the rest of the peeps into it and untied it from it's post, drifting it into the current. He grabbed up the oar and began to stroke, but Kuzco's hand stopped him.

"Wait… let me off this thing." He announced.

"Uh, what now?"

"Look, Kronk.. You need to get the kids back to their parents. I… need to stay here with the palace. Going down with the ship and all that, right?" Kronk just looked at him. "I mean, I can't just run away, right? I'm too much of a fighter for that… heh heh." He was really trying to convince himself more than anything. "I… I just can't leave while the rest of 'em are still trapped by those nutcases. I have to know what's going on! I have to know what happened to everyone. I… I'm the emperor, Kronk!"

Kronk looked intently at him, then slightly bemused. "You're right there, Kuzco, you're the emperor. And as your subordinate, uh wait.. No… as your friend…" At this, Kuzco gaped. "I really hate to do this to you again…"

"Huh?" Kronk bonked him upside the head with the oar, knocking him out. The kids and Bucky huddled around his collapsed body.

"Why'd you have to do that?" Chacka asked. "He was already hurt, you know…"

Kronk frowned with a look of seriousness to him that was very uncharacteristic. "Yeah…" He glanced at Kuzco's arm and opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a felid snarl.

The youngsters squealed as Huaca landed on the embankment and paced, hissing and debating on how to reach them. Kronk watched as the cat strode. "Huh… looks like the kitty's afraid of a little water. I think we'll be okay, kids." He pushed off with the oar down the flume.

Huaca eyed his prey, judging the distance. Kronk turned toward the stream and veered the boat into the opening that led outside. Huaca roared and made a rush off the ledge, diving toward the boat, claws at the ready. The children screamed. Kronk spun around wielding the oar in his arms like a mace just in time to crack it against the creature's skull. The cat's limp body splashed into the channel and the boat bumped up and down with the dangerous ebbing of the water. Kronk stared at the floating corpse gravely.

"Whoa…." Tipo gasped. "You… you killed it."

Kronk sniveled. "I generally hate hurting animals… but… it had to be done…" He bite his index finger in distress as he looked away.

"Well, yeah. I mean, it was going to KILL us."

"Shh, Tipo… an animal is only as evil as it's owner…" He frowned. "And…." he breathed through flaring nostrils, "They ARE evil…" He thought back to all he had witnessed in the throne room. Kuzco wanted to know what happened to the rest, but he wasn't sure he wanted to tell him. Visions of shadows and demons overtaking the attendants and his fellow guards… He didn't want the same fate to fall them.

But, as the water picked up toward the exit, it seemed as something else would fall upon them… or rather… _they_ were falling. They let out cries as the dinghy bounced against the bumpy channel that fed into the mountain side. The dark scenery soon enveloped them as they receded toward the jungle.

Montezuma and the rest of the cloaked entourage sauntered to the edge of the aqueducts and lifted their pet out of the water. The smallest of the group put a hand to Montezuma's shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" came her voice. "It's hard to believe they actually got away from Huaca…. And that they could do this to him…"

Montezuma gritted his teeth. "Huaca is irreplaceable to me. But… we must think of this as even more of a reason to exact our revenge. Besides… he did manage to help us out in the end…" He lifted the jaguar's still blood stained paw. "We have all we need right here."

 _Wow, that was… pretty climactic… I wonder if we survived that fall._

 _Heh heh, yeah…! And oh, Creep-o's comments aren't exactly comforting…. soooo… we're gonna take a break here, ya know, so I can - I mean YOU can - get your bearings. Take a nap, go for a walk, watch my movie… somn-somn MORE enjoyable than THESE people trying to kill me - pfft-yeah! Drama's for the llama's, y'all!_


	2. Raining on the Parade

The Emperor's New Groove: Montezuma's Revenge

Act Two: Raining on the Parade

The jaguar's claw, stained with remnants of red, balanced between two delicate ochre fingers. Svelte digits from the other hand danced, hanging over the object as ominous chanting from a female breathed from the background. Drips trickled off the keratin coating, forming a strange wispy ribbon that hovered in the air twixt the dainty dactyls. The manus master shot the sliver into a patient pool of black - ripples spread across the small mirror surface of obsidian, slowly forming a colored canvas of another scene elsewhere.

The preceding peaks of avocado and sweet olive peered through the densely packed trees along a certain trail, littered with small stone shacks situated haphazardly in their calm idyllic spaces - a far ways from the chaotic happenings at the capital. Groups of variegated llama grazed on the vegetated hillside, gorging themselves on the abundance of life here - a respite from the gloom, as a lumbering wobbly form made its way upward. The pack animals looked on inquisitively, their ears perked, at the blubbering silhouette. Exaggerated tears and sniffles and snorts issued from the sodden miserable mug of a beefy bloke, who wailed out incessantly, intermittently bellowing into a handkerchief. His war paint washed away and scuffs against his countenance told the story of a long arduous trek. The trio of children traveling along kept their own faces lowered in uncomfortable sympathy, only chancing some gawks toward him, then to the squidgy mismatched shuffling feet below - one missing a sandal. The soaked soles finally stopped, shaking underneath their weight.

"Okay Kronk, you've been going on for some time now… uhn… why are you crying?" A drenched Kuzco questioned irritably from below the bawling buffoon, quaking as he carried the other's limp form over his left shoulder.

The grief-stricken guard was beside himself as he clutched onto Kuzco. "Waaah! I… I… I'm so s-s-sorry! Waaaah! I'm a big, dumb, huge failuuuuure! Waaaah!" Kuzco cringed as Kronk blared into his ear, then rolled his eyes and scoffed, dropping the big dope onto the path before them.

"YOU'RE a failure?" He lifted a twitching brow and put his hands to his hips while his bare foot tapped in annoyance. But Kronk, misunderstanding the implication, kept whimpering. His eyes drowned and lip quivered in the ensuing waterworks as he hysterically threw himself into the young leader's chest - who was for a moment startled then slightly vexed, allowing a look of derision at the big guy. He could only look around at the kids in shared cynicism, lowering his eyelids into a stare onward as Kronk whined.

"I knooooow! I-I couldn't do anything against those g-guys and you got hurt and-and-and I lost Bucky! Ahhhh I'm a failuuuure!"

Kuzco let out an exasperated sigh and patted his back half-heartedly. "There there, pal… you're not a failure…"

"Yeah!" Tipo interjected, now swinging around the pudgy form of Yupi much to the younger's displeasure. "You saved us from that craaazy jaguar!"

Chacka whistled in. "Aaaand Bucky's a pretty smart squirrel… betcha he's okay!" She looked to the emperor for support. "Right, Kuzco?"

Kuzco gritted his teeth and looked around not very convincingly. "Uh… yeaah… sure…. the squirrel's fine… probably maybe…"

Kronk jumped up, suddenly settled by their 'words of encouragement'. "You're right, guys! I should have more faith in Bucky! Haha! Silly me…. I don't need …to be worried about him…" His voice trailed off and he bit his finger in nervousness, looking away abruptly.

Kuzco rolled his eyes as he looked toward their intended destination. Tipo fought to gain control of the wriggling Yupi who ushered out cries of contempt as Kuzco expertly grabbed, left-handed, the rebellious youngster by the back of his loincloth. "Yeah, whatever, let's just keep going okay?" Without batting an eye, he tucked Yupi under his arm and the boy giggled as he surveyed the surroundings sideways in the niche.

They all continued up the trail through the misty hills toward another particular patchwork of humble huts, the backs of two very familiar ones gracing the clear skyline adjacent each other. Kuzco breathed a sigh of relief.

"Me home! Me home!" Yupi cried out, reaching arms out toward their family dwelling. Chacka and Tipo darted ahead, eager to meet its inhabitants. Kuzco chanced a glance toward his own 'home-away-from-home' next door, slightly lower than its lofty neighbor, sufficient enough for one with several worn pots and gourds hanging on the exterior, and a pair of posts with a clothesline situated at its side. On any other day, he would want nothing more than to relax there, away from the hubbub of the city but not too far away from company.

He passed though the doorway of Pacha and Chicha's abode, etched with marks of measurements and children scrawls, then into the undisturbed interior. He gazed around absently, cradling the swaying Yupi still in the crook of his arm as the two older children dashed through rooms calling for their parents. The place was quaint and a little cluttered, but somehow… though it lacked fortified walls and barricades of guards, he always felt safe here. Kronk wondered into the kitchen on default and inspected the random assortment of wares as if debating on something. After some scurrying, Tipo and Chacka returned with depressed looks. Tipo threw his arms up. "Unh! They're not heeeere!"

A look of concern crossed Kuzco briefly but then he fixated thoughtfully at the waiting knitting of trees below the village.

The cool clear pool beyond the grove of budding shrubs echoed with babbles from the fleeting flumes and feeding falls of spring streams. Gentle splashes and ripples intermingled with wittering honeyed words and swoons from a couple occupying the retreat - solitary yet not, amongst the greenery.

The bigger man swung his slender wife around in a playful dance as the two flirted in the shallows.

"Oh Pacha…!" Chicha cooed - her smaller body garbed in short bathing robes quivered as she giggled. Her husband smiled tenderly and made a movement to twirl her around, dipping her back, and leaned in for a kiss but before their lips met…

"Nice to see the two of you are enjoying yourselves…" a stoic voice uttered just in earshot. Pacha's eyes snapped open toward the deadpan gaze of Kuzco.

"Gaah!" He startled, accidentally dropping the unaware Chicha, squealing, into the water. "Oh, shoot, honey-!"

Kronk came lumbering from the thicket behind Kuzco, toting the children on his back - who jumped down and rushed toward the adults. Chicha spluttered as she lifted herself out of the water, grabbing onto her husband and adjusting her headband. Upon seeing her children, she collected her bearings, slightly embarrassed, as the two other males present gave her a curious look-over. "Kids…! Kuzco! Hi… there…"

"Hey, uh, don't forget about me, ha ha!" Kronk interjected, waving a howdy-do.

Chacka's face contorted in thought, distracted along with her brothers at the thought of their parents' lovey-dovey notions. "Ew, you all were being grossss-sah…"

Chicha corrected her, "It's not being gross - it's being married."

Pacha rubbed his temple, grimacing at the uninvited audience. "Uhh…! W-wait-what are you all doing out here?"

Kuzco, standing aloof with his arms crossed and brows raised, responded restively "Oh, ya know… just enjoying the fresh air… you?"

Pacha, confused by this, rubbed his neck in response "Well… yes…"

"Oh, well, that's great!" Kuzco sneered. "You all are just having the time of your lives while some of us are suffering with possible permanent emotional damage… terrific."

"Woah woah, alright… what's with this attitude?" Pacha trudged over to the conflicted Kuzco. Striking an authoritative stance, he jabbed at the indignant prince. "Things at the palace not going your way again?" Kuzco turned crossly, but Pacha poked his right arm erupting a shrill yelp from the other. Pacha became alarmed as his small friend fell whimpering to the ground. "Kuzco!"

"Ah…n-no…t-touchy-y…unh…" Kuzco managed through pathetic sobs of pain. Pacha hovered over him, now noticing the makeshift tourniquet and that his imperial robes looked worse for ware. Chicha ran over concerned and immediately began inspecting his wound.

"W-what happened!?" She turned to the others.

Kronk stammered with his words, thoughts coming back, "Uh… w-we were… attacked…"

"WHAT!?" the couple cried out in unison. Chicha threw her hands to her mouth and instinctively grabbed for her children. Pacha instantly felt his heart drop to his stomach as he looked over his despondent friend.

But, he was not the only one watching. Dark eyes peered over the vision scryed across the smoking mirror - a disc of obsidian encased in gold. Clawed hands fiddled the mystic instrument's rim and around the neck chain that dangled from the ornament as it sat in the limber man's deer-skin lap. Montezuma chuckled aloud as he surveyed the scene before his magic mirror, situating himself in the golden throne of the palace now shrouded in a dim light that draped a dull red hue across the interior. His shed jaguar pelt covered the arms of the coveted seat and his feathered shield leaned against it as he reclined happily - his band-painted body of amber and umber peppered in the same scars as his face. "Aw… is the poor little emperor hurting….? Bah!"

Below, an innumerable amount of people formed an audience - standing in an eerie air of gloom with their mouths and eyes gaping as they blankly stared onward, entranced. Their skin was painted grey and quiet moans could be heard from some, while tears crossed the lifeless mugs of others. It was clear they were still somewhat aware, but had hardly any control of themselves.

Montezuma continued to the masses, "…He would do well to face the darkness like the rest of us, wouldn't he?" He laughed again. "Eventually you'll come to accept it - this world devoid of light… hope…" He was silent for just a minute. "…I did." Then, subconsciously, dug his claws across the stone in sullen anger. He stopped, clenching his fists and breathing heavily as he forcefully composed himself and brought out that fake smile again cracking across his tarnished face. He glared back at the scene emanating from the obsidian. "Yes… you all need to experience it to understand it….heh heh… and what better way than to make your leader suffer… the same as I…?" His voice droned on as he seemed to remember something. His upper lip twitched as he thought. "…Everything taken away…. into obscurity… left with nothing… but the darkness…" He chuckled again, then, switching gears, barked out toward the bleakness. "Tlaloc! Totoc!"

Two shadows whipped across the barely visible floor and merged into coherent forms of the named jaguar warriors. They were still concealed by their cloaks but maintained a visible difference just in approach and posture. One was tall with noticeably pointed shoulders, jerked and quaked as if having a continuous spasm. Seething and heavy breathing could be heard underneath his garb, as the other - a thin wiry sort who sported the twisted staff - casually strutted closer to the commandeered cathedra. "You called, sire?"

"You wouldn't mind running an errand for me would you?" Monty blew at his claws, rubbing them against the speckled fur that sleeved just his arms.

The thin one swiveled around the warped rod, which rattled in response amongst undulating sage green limbs. "Oh, errand?" He responded with an eloquent flair, "You mean like killing the emperor?"

"KILL KILL! TOTEC SPILL BLOOD!" the other screeched out, violently thrashing in his shadowy wardrobe.

"Yes, more blood would be useful… Oh! And if you could bring back his head on a stake…" Montezuma nodded happily.

"Right, 'use him as an example' and all that…" Tlaloc stated unenthusiastically. "Quite disgusting if you ask me… but you're the boss! Where to then, sire?"

Montezuma pried over the obsidian and tapping his cheek, a thought occurred to him. He snapped his fingers and a dazed, grey-braised soldier appeared by his side. He put the smoking mirror up to the drooling zombiefied guard and pointed into it, slowly enunciating. "Wheeeere iiiiis thiii-is?"

The guard's head cocked to one side and he moved erratically but managed through gurgles, "K-Kuz-co-to-pi-a…"

"Kuzcotopia…? Well, that's awfully conceited." Montezuma flatly remarked. "Oh, thank you, by the way…" He then pushed the hapless guard off the steps who warbled woefully downward, and turned back to his compatriots clapping his hands together gleefully. "Well, there you go!"

He watched as the two shuttered out of visibility, shooting off out of the palace for their hunt. Monty began again to laugh maniacally, roaring out after them. "Soon this kingdom will be in the paw of Tezcatlpoca, bwa ha ha ha…!"

His laugher seemed to echo even outside the palace constraints. "He's so dramatic…" Tlaloc muttered as the dual shadows zipped along the paths leading away.

The children sat at entrance steps watching birds happily chirp amongst the weathered model of a long forgotten blueprint-turned-birdbath that stood before a frequented hut - the friendly signpost of Kuzcotopia.

In one of the small rooms, the newly dressed Chicha held a sewing needle carefully in one hand and Kuzco's wounded arm firmly in the other as he winced and dramatically squirmed. He ushered all kinds of cries and wails, hiding his face behind the other arm. Chicha giving him a matter-of-fact look in some humor. "Kuzco… I haven't even touched you yet…"

Kuzco stopped, "… Oh."

Then she poked him.

Pacha, decked in his usual moss and khaki attire, winced himself as he heard the pitiable pleas in the next room. Kronk spluttered as he sloshed water from a basin over his face, washing away the last vestiges of paint and worry as he continued to relay their plight. "…Yeah… and can you believe it….? The river washed us toward your village! Pretty great coincidence, I'd say!" He leaned over the rim, squinted against the driblets and shook his head dry like some oversized dog.

"Hm… but what does that guy mean by 'those that harmed our kingdom'!?" Pacha pondered fervently, "I don't recall any such conquest…"

Kronk perked up. "Ooh, Maybe Kuzco's dad fired them!"

"Uhh, alright… but why attack now!?" Pacha cried out.

"I don't know, stop yelling at me!" Kronk blubbered.

Kuzco grabbed a new pair of sandals and quickly changed into something more comfortable, less formal than imperial robes; a sorrel robe running down to his knees with ashen trim that sheathed his collar and arms - careful with his newly stitched, bandaged arm. He pulled over a wide-sleeved golden garment embroidered in bright orange at split sides and tied at the waist with a matching cord. Topping it off, he had to throw on the now frayed poncho Chicha had made for him some time ago, the green slightly dingy with dirt stains. He rubbed the llama insignia between his fingers and laughed in spite of himself. He'd almost rather be in that situation again than facing this mess. Being responsible sucked.

Chicha returned from hanging clothes outside and noticed his forlorn appearance. "Kuzco…" He looked up at the sound of her voice, "…don't worry, we'll figure something out…" She put a consoling hand at his shoulder.

"Oh…? How do you know?" He slighted.

"Because I'm a mom and we know everything."

He looked toward her comforting countenance, so sure and put-together. He smiled feebly. "Oh… heh, right…" She was joking, but in a way she wasn't. She and Pacha always _did_ seem to know what to do no matter how hairy the situation - figuratively and literally.

The tender moment was interrupted however by a clamor in the next room. Upon entering, they looked on, puzzled at Kronk - who, desperate for some distraction or perhaps having an attention deficit episode, had snatched up a flute and began to practice a playful ditty, bounding about the abode. Pacha was barely aware of the interaction, immersed in his own thoughts - but the children had poked their heads in the window laughing and offering reassuring audience as they clapped along. The lovable lug flung his free arm back and forth in amusement as he played, tapping his feet and spinning in place while the emperor just stared at him with a gaze somewhere between utterly confused and deeply offended. Blind to the gesture, Kronk continued his repertoire and bounded right up to them, smiling through trills.

Kuzco snapped an annoyed look toward the big guy and lashed out at the lummox, swiping the pipe from his mouth. He winced at the pain still in his arm, but only for a moment as he turned toward Kronk's befuddled façade, frozen with still whistling lips.

"Yeah, uh…" Kuzco made a show of tapping the pipe to his chin. "Just, um…tsk, WHAT are you doing!?" He brandished the flute in his hand as if reprimanding the larger. The others looked on uncomfortably.

"I, well, I uh…"

"Kronk, buddy…" Kuzco chewed on his words as he fiddled with the flute, "I know you have a hard time remembering things … heh, I guess you just have some ability to block it out after a few minutes or something right? I get it, ya know… it's hard to think about things… or maybe just hard to think at all, ha ha… yeah… So I guess I need to reiterate on the situation…" He paused then roughly spat out, "This… isn't a vacation, pal!"

Kronk twiddled his fingers and looked up sorrowfully. "I… was just trying to lighten the mood… a little…"

Kuzco's face softened as he studied his chum's chiseled phizog - the hyped henchman now a mournful and defeated personage who had most definitely seen more than he. Kuzco let out a small sigh and looked briskly toward the alerted Pacha, Chicha, then the kids who huddled together, ducked down with their noses right at the windowsill nervously watching. "Uh, yeah… well…" He muttered quickly, "you're off pitch…." He threw the pipe aside and paced over to the open doorway, leaning against the frame.

The others awkwardly shuffled with Chicha breaking the silence. "So… um… who wants some snacks?"

Kronk and the children perked up at this, "Ooh, me me me!" and they jovially jumbled into the kitchen area, followed by the clatter of crockery. But Kuzco, unflappable, stayed glued to his spot. Pacha folded his arms in thought, joining him.

"Ya know, Chicha makes some good brownies… when she tries!" He laughed at his own joke.

Kuzco offered a weak smile in response but curtly retorted, "I'm not hungry."

Pacha attempted to assuage him. "…Kuzco… I know you're scared…"

"Scared?! Pfft… Don't be ridiculous, Pacha! _I_ don't get scared!" He threw an arm up behind him. "I mean, who'd be scared …of a group of maniac magicians bent on - probably - the annihilation of the kingdom and - most certainly - my death!? Nah… that's kid's stuff."

"So they want to kill you? Not like you haven't been through that before…"

"This is different. _I_ didn't do anything this time." He sneered. "I was just sitting there minding my own business… literally!" Throwing himself back into the entry, he stared toward Pacha's hut, then down to the rest of the houses littering the side of the hills. An outline of storm clouds could be seen rolling far off in the distance. Farmers and a few inhabitants mingled as they passed each other on the dirt trails, toting their baskets of fresh picked crops and wheeling llama-drawn carts - blissfully unaware of the coming storm. The two old men, Ipi and Topo, sat outside playing a game of checkers like usual and a few children ran amuck tossing a rubber ball. "…like… you try to be a good leader and all but then… stuff happens like… 'sorry pal, too bad'!" He sighed heavily as Pacha watched on in empathy.

"Mm, yeah… that happens…"

"I mean…" Kuzco paused for a moment, "How do you do it…? Pacha?"

"…What?"

Kuzco shuffled uncomfortably in his spot, rubbing his wounded arm on reflex, "Well, ya know… keep 'em safe and all that…?"

Pacha stared, a little flabbergasted. He sure had grown up in the past few years. "Uhh… well, to be honest… you don't." Kuzco spun back around with a critical look. "You really just do the best you can and, well… just hope it works out…" Pacha shrugged. "You can't control what happens… but… you can decide how you face it." He looked back into the kitchen area where forms of his family and Kronk could be seen and heard moving about. "Because… you care about them! They're your family…!" Kuzco glanced back out toward Pacha's village as the older spoke. "That's what a kingdom _is_ , right…?"

"…Uh," Kuzco struggled with his thoughts, "…yeah… I guess so…"

"But…" Pacha interjected, "I don't think just giving yourself up is an option. If they're after you…" He folded his arms and nodded his head resolutely,"…they're after all of us!"

"Heh, Pacha, you can't say that… aren't you worried about _your_ family?"

Pacha's face slacked as a hint of nervousness crossed him, but he stood firm. "Well yeah, of course… but…" He stepped to the emperor's side and gently slapped his cap over the younger's head, "…you're part of it…" Kuzco stood there, with his face halfway covered, breathless a moment until he sluggishly lifted the brim of the cap to meet Pacha's reassuring smirk. "…We _are_ part of the kingdom, right?"

Instantly, Kuzco's muzzle melted and he blinked rapidly, fighting back the tearful theatrics. "Aw man, what… where'd you get this life advice shtick, huh? Why you always say things like that…?"

"Because I'm a dad and…" the older shrugged, "Well, that's just part of our job…"

"Yeah whatever….," He weakly shoved at the older in pseudo-resentment, but quickly sported a much more characteristic smirk himself. "But… thanks…" He nudged the big guy. "Dunno what I would do without ya, pal…"

"You would be a llama."

"Okay you gotta stop bringing that up…" Kuzco laughed as the two made their way back inside.

Long branching brows curled atop an aged temple as the reed-like Ipi examined his checkerboard, debating his next move. A quivering arm placed a finger over one of the black pieces, but quickly pulled away - having second thoughts.

The squat, baggy Topo eyeballed him lazily, drooping in and out of slumber before slapping hands down on the table, snapping a remark to his friend. "C'mon Ipi, I'm getting old over here!"

"Hah, too late for that! Just make sure you don't keel over before I beat you…" Ipi chuckled as Topo rolled his eyes off toward some movement. He noticed two whipping shades travel up the trail and spring to life, sprouting from the earth as dark dressed silhouettes slightly away from the hut. He shook his head in disbelief, sure his vision was finally failing him, as Ipi jumped a few pieces with a triumphant "Ha!" He then looked toward the same direction as his gawking chum.

The imposing figures of Totec and Tlaloc made their way toward them. "Pardon us…" the smaller rattled his twisted staff around as he spoke, "We were given vague directions to find Kuzcotopia… heard of it?"

Ipi thought a moment, "Hey 'int that the place that Kuzco fella stays at sometimes?"

Topo, spying the board before him, quickly jumped all of Ipi's remaining pieces. "Yep." Ipi stared on flabbergasted at his friend's move and grunted in annoyance.

"Greeeat," Tlaloc responded as Totec jittered impatiently behind him, "So you know where it is…?"

"Well - hey wait…!" The scrawny old man questioned. "What's a couple of 'shady' guys like you want to know that for?"

"Oh no reason really, we just want to kill the emperor."

"KILL! KILL! DEAD! DEAD!" the pointy other screeched.

The two old men darted looks to one another as they pursed their lips. Finally Topo broke the silence, rubbing a bushy eyebrow, "Ha ha… welp, then nope… never heard of it!"

"Yeah, uh…" Ipi made a show to tap his chin, "We don't even know a 'Kuzco', do we…?"

"A ha ha… Who?"

"Exactly!"

Eyes glared through the black jaguar pelt. "Oh, in that case…" A green arm swiveled, stirring up a seemingly sentient shadow from the air. "Thanks for your help…" Tlaloc swerved the shade straight at Topo, who immediately slumped back in his chair with graying skin and murmured under a visible weight of gloom. Ipi hoarsely cried out to his friend, but then jolted from his own chair with vigor that didn't suit his age, sprinting up the hill crying out to his neighbors.

"Crazies! Crazies in the village!" As he hollered, the plethora of pedestrians and children playing pivoted in their spots, villagers poked their heads curiously from their shacks - including the occupants of Kuzco's, food still stuffed in their cheeks. The shade masters briskly followed and Ipi was met as the same fate as his buddy, plopping down to the dirt below, prompting the outside onlookers to panic and run.

Kuzco screamed. Tlaloc looked toward the sound but no movement could be seen. The group tucked their bodies against the front wall. Kuzco whimpered and slumped to the floor, hiding his face in the brim of Pacha's hat. "Oh man! They're here! That's two of 'em…! We're gonna die!" He covered his mouth as he quivered and quaked.

"No, we're not!" Pacha whispered loudly. "C'mon we'll escape through the back… let's go…" He quickly ushered the tiptoeing others onward, glancing frantically about and grabbing a satchel hanging by the door. He stuffed a multitude of useful things in it such as cloaks and various supplies as they went.

The wind began to pick up as the rain chills grew closer. The pointy shade master Totec thrashed through people's homes, leaving a wake of screeches and debris as the panicked populace tried to flee. Tlaloc, certain of his hearing, kept examining the hilltops and focused on a clothesline with vibrant cloaks sailing in the breeze. "Totec! The emperor's clothes!" The edgy other spun his jaguar mug toward the shack. "That must be it!" They shifted and sped toward the dwelling. Thunder began to reverberate above.

Chicha and Chacka held the two younger boys as Pacha frantically set up a cart usually meant for a llama. "Alright, everyone pile in!" With looks of confusion, but too frantic to offer debate, they did as they were told - Kuzco first, then Chicha and the kids. Kuzco struggled with the close proximity everyone was tightly packed into it as Kronk looked on saddened.

"Uh…. What about me?"

Pacha stared at him critically. But before he could offer a response, the two cloaked figures appeared in a whisp of shade in the doorway. "You're pushing!" Pacha quickly leapt onto the cart, perched himself on the outer edge facing his family and Kronk. "Go, go, go!"

Kronk pedaled his feet in the air a moment as he, panicked, roughly forced the cart forward and bounded down the hill at breakneck speed with the shadowy warriors at his back. The whole group squealed as they bounced - Kuzco ushering wails and uncomfortable pleas as they seemed to hit every divot along the back trail not to mention the girls screamed at the top of their lungs right in his ears. Tipo held his stomach, but Yupi didn't seem to mind this romp - throwing his arms up happily. Pacha worriedly watched from his perch as the shades closed in. Kronk held the handles tightly but intermittently would slip, bounce against the rough trail then jump back up into his sprint.

Pacha swiftly grabbed a decent-sized pebble as they passed it and lurched it toward the baddies. They dispersed for a moment, pausing only to look at it critically. Pacha ducked just before a dark blast sped by. Then several. Kronk erratically made movements to dodge these black volleys but he was having a hard time controlling the cart. "Woaa-ohh-ohh!"

Tipo and Chacka looked to each other concerned, but with an air of determination suddenly coming over them. Chacka swung around her knapsack and they smiled impishly. The youngsters climbed onto their puzzled father's shoulders and without further ado, began to toss a multitude of toys toward the brutes. The shadesters sprinting, comically looked on as objects passed them - a husk doll, plush llama, rubber ball, hand drum and dreidel. Then, a Corn Popper dinged Totec aside the head, it's colorful balls snapping around the walker's dome. Tlaloc couldn't help but laughing at his misfortune as their prey persisted ahead.

The kids high-fived atop their bemused father and Kronk, glancing back at the now empty trail, cheered. "Yeah, looks like we shook them!" Then he noticed an oncoming ledge. He squalled in sheer terror, along with the others, as they launched over and downward toward the forested areas below. Kronk teetered on the backend as the cart plummeting vertically along the slippery slope, smashing through bushes and shrubbery. Pacha howled and cringed in pain as branching boughs whipped at his bottom. Kuzco and the others winced in sympathy. "Ooo…!" Then, a cart's wheel exploded off its axel spinning the beleaguered passengers and their provisions out of control until the nose locked up on an elevated stone, flipping them all out. One by one they flew into the air.

Kronk smacked a tree hard, whirling around in confusion - squirrels spinning around his head. Then Pacha squashed him, prompting a sobering gasp from the buff bloke. Chicha and the children along with their bag of supplies safely landed on the puffy Pacha - who, in an effort to relieve Kronk below, rolled over with them in his protective arms - only to have the wailing Kuzco bounce off his backside into the same tree Kronk had hit.

The group barely had time to register their situation though as the shades broke through the thicket above, touching down behind them. Pacha stood in front of his petrified family as they slowly moved in. Kronk, nervously at first, struck a defiant (yet still anxious) pose.

Tlaloc rattled his staff around and Totec shifted in the shadow of the canopy just as the rain begin to drizzle down. An overcast blanketed the already dark setting. Tlaloc giggled. "Ooh, this feels much better… in the safety of the shade…" A forest arm flung back his hood as he lapped up the fresh rain. He was not anymore sightly than his leader; a wiry figure painted in olive green with black angled lines forming squares in some places and along his caved-in cheeks, big lacquered-up fish lips, piranha chompers, a huge dangling handlebar piercing protruding from either side of his basically non-existent nose, and dark circled dilated peepers plastered on his quarry. He wore a long fashionable indigo cloak around his nether regions tied together with a frayed red sash that trailed behind him like a tail down to his bandaged up legs mostly covered by furs.

Totec hissed in agreement, following suit. Though he was a little top-heavy, he was mostly bones with a knotted, angled appearance along his pale body - especially his shoulders which jutted upward like mountain peaks. He had a Neanderthal brow with a receding hairline of significant charcoal-colored spikes extending from behind pointed ears graced with huge gauges that yanked the lobes past his beaded collar. His skin was speckled in some kind of resin along with dark mud outlining his features making him look the part of a hunched skeletal gorilla trying to stand, with wide spade-like black-polished nicked-nailed paws protruding from a flayed pieced-together leathery suit. The assortment of giant beads and ornamentals he wore seemed to weigh him down, particularly a string of decent-sized bones with a llama skull. At his waist, more strings of bones wrapped a slivered pale flannel cloak about him dusting the dirt below.

The two of them smiled maliciously against the bleak backdrop. Tlaloc waved his staff forward as the rain around them pitted the ground with dark spots. Suddenly these flecks flourished long vines of shadow that began to dance under Tlaloc's conducting.

"Ohh, snap!" Kuzco screamed as the gang filed, frenzied, into the recesses of the jungle trying as much as possible to huddle together. But the whips of shadow grew up seemingly everywhere, threatening to overtake them as they sprinted. Inevitably they became separated as the dark ribbons formed fingers reaching toward them… leaving the jungle behind a black memory.

Kronk, toting the kids and Chicha like sacks, huffed through the dense wilderness as the whips snaked behind them. He looked back momentarily only to trip on a tree root, sending all of them rolling into a clearing where a pack of jaguar slept amongst the tree limbs. The shadowy slivers sprung over the treetops and landed into several of the big cats' heads, instantly waking them into a sort of controlled state, milling about, ready to pounce on the potential prey before them. Chicha and the children looked on in speechless horror. But Kronk merely sighed and shrugged, pulling out a scroll and quill from his robes.

"I'm going to count thiiis… as reference, like 50..." and made a swift stroke against the paper.

The jaguars jumped toward them, backing them in a cowering corner. Yupi called out toward the cats rebelliously "Bad kitty!" At which, one roared back in response, frightening the squirt who huddled in his mother's arms. Chicha, upon seeing this, grew infuriated.

"Alright! I've had enough!" She stepped toward the feral felines, placing Yupi in Kronk's arms, "Hold him for me, would you?" Before he could offer a protest, she had ripped the bottom of her gown, tied the fabric across her already present headband and smeared a two streaks of mud across her cheeks, roaring back at the surprised jaguars that dare threaten her babies. She quickly approached, and smacked one right in the face. The surveyors screeched as the jaguars jumped for her. But she held her cool - practicing a meditative stance before knocking one right, then left, then giving another a round house kick, after which she judo-chopped one aside the head issuing a great scream of fury.

Kronk and the kids starred on shocked as silhouettes of jaguars passed them - Kronk becoming slightly afraid of the woman himself.

"Wow, go mom!" Chacka cried out as Chicha finished her brawl.

Chicha flexed her wrist. "Don't mess with a mad mom." But Tipo cried out and she looked down, a shadowy vines wrapping around her legs. She struggled with the wriggling shades seeping from their hosts and beyond, but it was no use - they overtook her and the rest of them in swallowing darkness.

A sprinting Kuzco squealed out as he was yanked from the side - Pacha snatching him up out of the grasp of shades. The big guy bounded through with the younger in his arm, crying out for the others "Chicha! Kids! Kronk!?" He was beginning to become a little worried. Sure they could take care of themselves, but this was a totally different level than anything they'd ever faced.

Suddenly, he found himself at one of the many cliff drops of the jungle, protected somewhat by the rain by a dying tree at the edge. Even still, the whips crept slowly toward them. Fish-eyed Tlaloc emerged from the blackness, strutting along confidently as thunder bellowed overhead. He cracked a dagger-laden smile from behind those swelled lips. Leisurely, he twirled the staff about his body in an elegant dance, singing an intentionally eerie rhyme…

" _It's raining… it's pouring…_

 _The thunder above is roaring..._

 _The emperor… went up a hill_

 _And now… it's time to kill…_

 _So we can get on with this story…"_

Tlaloc chuckled, "Okay that last part I kinda cheated…"

Kuzco caught his breath. Was this really the end for him? How was that even possible? He was the main character, right? "Look, fine… you wanna kill me? Bring it…!"

Pacha looked at him, shocked. "Kuzco!"

"…just let the big man over here go, alright? I'll go with you if you just leave him and the other's alone, okay!?"

Pacha stared on in deep sympathy, but Tlaloc, pinging his nose-bone with a green digit, merely took only a second to muse on it. "Um.. No." Then shot a bullet of shadow right at the unprepared Pacha, who doubled over to the ground in front of his young friend.

"Pacha!" Kuzco screamed, throwing himself over the portly farmer. He rolled his friend over, now slowly turning grey as he struggled against the onset of the shadows' influence. Kuzco gasped in fear as he desperately clung to the larger's rain-soaked poncho, driblets gracing his own sorrowful face as the storm around them picked up momentum.

Pacha looked at his desperate buddy and strained a smile as he fought against the shadowy sway - his voice harsh and breathless. "Don't… give up…." No longer able to keep it at bay, he let out a wheezing exhale and passed out. Kuzco slumped over his fallen friend, whimpering - feeling as if it was him that got shot as well.

Tlaloc chuckled madly as he circled around the pitiful forms, strutting toward the lifeless tree just beyond them. Pale painted Totec dashed out of the darkness as well, pitting their prey between the two of them. "Sorry, but in the end…" Tlaloc gleefully announced, "…everyone will meet the same fate…" He giggled a bit then whispered out as if giddy girl revealing a tightly-held secret, "…the scourge of the Shadow Plague…"

Kuzco's eyes snapped up at this, realizing something. "What… did you just say?"

"That's right… the Shadow Plague…" Tlaloc twirled his staff around, happily listening to the rattling melding with the pitting rain. "Montezuma is very specific with his vision of revenge…!" He playfully engulfed the dying tree he strode by in shadows as the rest of the slivers swirled around their targets. "Your whole kingdom… falling to the darkness! Bwahaha!" Kuzco stared at him, now with a resolute look of anger. But Tlaloc continued, jumping onto the tree. "And you…. well you'll be the poster boy for all to see!" He upraised his staff in maniacal theatrics as darkness began to bloom around it. The drizzle and wind swished around them. "The end for you is at hand!" He bellowed in laugher above the unperturbed prince. Totec smiled insanely at what was sure to come, but the emperor kept his decisive look of disdain. Tlaloc hoisted his staff straight toward the lightning-filled heavens, a plume of shadowy magic seeping from it as he cackled above his victim - ready to smite him, "Now… DIE!" A great clap of thunder blared above and the sky was alit as a bolt zig-zagged down, striking the assailant where he stood!

A horrific screech and crack of energy was engulfed in a shocking blaze. A surprised Kuzco, temporarily blinded, glanced back to see the roasted form of the tree - crisped with flames licking the top of the dead boughs - and the singed body of Tlaloc, which promptly fell beyond the cliff's edge. The tree cracked under the fire, branches snapping off around Kuzco and Pacha below. He startled but noticed the shadows were disappearing… and Totec, the monster-looking man, eyed the fire with a look of dread… backing away.

Kuzco jumped up and grabbed a bough, swinging it toward him and the darkness. "What… afraid of a little fire?" Totec hissed out madly. "Go, on! Get out of here!" Kuzco cried out. Totec reluctantly stepped back, glaring him down but draped himself once more in the shadows and disappeared back into the jungle.

Chicha was released from her prison of darkness and spied Kronk and the children, rushing toward them. They all eyed the shadowy wisps disappearing around them and even the jaguars took the cue to leave - not wanting again to mess with the mad momma. Chacka thought on this turn of events. "Did something happen?"

Not long after, they got their answer however when they met up with the torch wielding Kuzco toting a somber-looking Pacha. Chicha and the kids cried out in fear and worry as they took the patriarch into their care.

Kronk worked to set up a modest camp, using the torch to start a small bonfire as the others watched over Pacha cringing under the weight of despair that infected him. Kuzco shook his head in grief as Chicha wept out to him. "What… is this?"

Kuzco turned away, thinking on Tlaloc's words. "It's… the Shadow Plague." Chicha looked up. "You remember it right? I mean… apparently it started when I was just a baby but I heard a lot of nasty stuff about it-" He stopped when he realized that was not the route he should be going.

Chicha sniffed sadly, but kept her strong composure for the kids. "Yeah, I… remember it…"

"But…" Kuzco replied, "Don't worry about it because we got an antidote…"

Chicha blinked. "We… do?"

"Well, more like we know someone who does…" He turned to Kronk blowing on the brush pile. "Right, Kronk?"

Kronk stopped and looked around. "Who, me?"

"Erm… no. But you know where she is don't you?" He narrowed his eyes.

Chicha and the kids looked on suspiciously, not really liking where this was leading. Kronk just blinked, confused. "Uh… who?"

Kuzco sneered as the name escaped his lips. "…Yzma…"


	3. Memories and Shadows

The Emperor's New Groove: Montezuma's Revenge

Act Three: Memories and Shadows

The gaunt gaudy golden-ager strutted through the golden halls of the palace in a flamboyant violet headdress and matching high-collared dress, pulling out a tube of lipstick and caking her shriveled lips as she went. Promptly she withdrew a small flask of perfume as well and doused herself as she approached two particular doors lined with a multitude of guards, throwing the used bottle over her shoulder at one of them. She glided through with unbridled vigor and flair as the doors were opened to her presence. "A-hah!" Drawing out a confident smile, she winked and blew familiar kisses to the interior guards standing alert. As she passed, they gagged and retched under a thought of disgust. But she did not notice, as her eyes were fixated on a shining throne before her… that lust for power gleaming.

 _Alright, folks… time for a little world history. We all know this antique as Yzma, the extremely vain daughter of a mortician - which I guess explains why she looks like something out of a crypt herself - and_ _ **EX**_ _-'Emperor's Advisor'. For who knows how long, she occupied that position… but lemme tell ya, she was terrible at it. Oh yeah! Like a class act of catastrophe! She gave crummy advice - trust me - and performed more like 'executive-take-your-spot-while-you're-out' than anything. And well, ya know… the whole trying to kill me and turning me into a llama thing didn't help her case…_

 _So, yeah, she gets banished from the kingdom as of late… which was great because I could honestly live the rest of my life peacefully without seeing her face… but ya know that just wouldn't make for a good drama, now would it? Ooooh no. We just HAD to have her come back for this sitch, didn't we!?_

 _Ahem… but uh… I'm getting ahead here… going back to the flashback…_

Yzma rounded the throne giggling, ready to take a sit, only to be met - deplorably so - with a cherub-faced babe donning a diaper of red cloth. His ebony hair bounced underneath the imperial crown as he faced her.

 _Aw, it's me as a baby again! I swear I just get cuter every time I see me…!_

Yzma gasped in annoyance, but quickly recovered. "Well well, if it isn't young master Kuzco…" She attempted a ginger smile, but the heir apparent let out an ear-splitting squall in response. Yzma, flustered, quickly looked around for some answer to this hellion's cry.

A riposte from another much more reverent resident entered the fray, "Oh, Kuzco…! What's the matter?" A slender young woman decorated in delicate gold and white silks, fine make-up, polished jewelry and a tiara pinning her hair slightly up, sashayed toward them. "Did someone have an accident?" Her face was kind with expressive eyes and nose similar to the babe's below a squared mane parted in a widow's peak. She picked up the crying child and turned him over to peak into the diaper - to no avail. "Hm, that's odd…" She mused humorously, directing her attention on his whimpering façade, "Now what could make you cry so… hm?" She rubbed her nose against his. "Does someone need attention?"

 _Yep, you all guessed it… that's me mommy!_

Yzma watched in aversion as the mother cooed to her giggling child.

"Who wants attention? You do… yes you do! Aww, who's my little sunbeam!"

"Nina!" Yzma barked. Nina jolted and looked toward the matron as she spoke through irritated hisses. "Just why was he sitting there…?"

Nina raised an angled brow and chuckled. "Um, because he's the emperor, silly…!"

Yzma approached closer and wagged a hook-like finger right in her face. "Ah ah ah - not so fast! Not YET he's not…! You KNOW Manku left ME in charge while he's away… so let's not be getting hasty, shall we?"

"Um, what difference does it make?" Nina chuckled, still staring at her babe. "Kuzco _will_ be the emperor… so I thought it would be in his best interest to get used to sitting here… that's all…"

Yzma chortled. "Yes, well decisions like that are why you're the emperor's wife, _not_ his advisor." The comment stabbed Nina and she stopped to stare at the devilish deva taking her 'rightful' seat eagerly. She then cried out a name "Kapic!" and a burly yesman appeared at her side with a pitcher of tea, pouring her some. "Ah thank you, my boy!" She patted him on the cheek as he became stern and rigid at her side, then, taking a sip of her beverage, Yzma crossed her legs over and extended an arm to Nina. "You know, a woman of _your_ standing still doesn't have any authority… or well, if it were up to me… any right to even be around the throne…!"

"Any right!? Excuuuuse me…!?"

"You're excused." Yzma took another sip of tea.

Nina gasped in hurt shock. "Why you nasty old crone! When I tell Manku how you're behaving…!"

Yzma laughed defiantly. "Hah! Like he'll believe you! Your words are nothing compared to mine, little girl!" She turned to the yielding younger with false sympathy. "So why don't you run along and let the big girls deal with the decisions, hm…?"

 _If looks could kill, I think Yzma would have died right there. It's a shame they don't, huh?_

Nina breathed in slowly and calmed herself, issuing a soft reply as she walked away with child in hand. "Of course… after all, you're the _advisor_ … but…" she paused a moment to turn back, "I hope you make better decisions in the future…"

 _Oh snap! Momma knows how to call it, huh? I must get my acute sense of awareness from her…!_

 _Um heh, yeah!_

 _So… apparently this was the kind of relationship the two most, dare I say,… influential… women in my life had. Unfortunately for, well, everyone, I got stuck mainly with the dragon instead of the princess… because… um… well…._

 _Unh… let's just get on with this already…_

Thin white veils billowed softly in the window as the light of day seeped into the enormous ethereal bedroom plastered in calming colors, various silks and precious carved figures. The golden guardians peered over the room lined in floral arrangements and goods, offerings for what may come to the occupant of a shrouded canopy bed - her form barely noticeable behind the layers. The silent air felt stale and heavy despite the intended uplifting atmosphere.

But the calm was broken by the hollering of an ill-tempered tike bashing through the doorway and flailing on the ground. "No, no, no… I don't want to take a bath…!" Servants lead by Yzma herself filed in behind him but quickly stopped when they realized where they were. Shifting around they looked uneasy as the child emperor wriggled away underneath the adjacent bed, crying out the whole time "No, go away! I'm not doing it!"

Yzma, evidently perturbed but trying to keep her voice down accost him, "sh, sh sh…. My Emperor Kuzco…"

"Don't shush me!" He sassed.

Yzma cringed but desperately kept her composure as she tried to sway him. "Now now…Bathing is… uh…. Essential to your rule….heh he,yes… So why don't you come on out of here and we'll get it over with….!"

Kuzco twisted his face in thought. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Grk…! Just get over here!" She whispered loudly.

"No! You can't tell me what to do! I'm the emperor, I tell you what to do!" He yelled as he crawled to the other side, situating himself in a huff between the bed and the far wall.

"Why you little…!"

"Yzma…" a soft voice muttered from the canopy covers.

Yzma and the rest of the servants stopped and stared. "Urk… my lady!" Yzma fidgeted, trying to contain herself. "I'm sooo sorry. I was _trying_ to keep from waking you…"

"It's alright… he can stay in here for a bit…"

Kuzco looked up curiously from his spot. Yzma and the others exchanged anxious looks but did indeed take their leave - Yzma giving a sideways glare at the small boy as she closed the door behind them. Kuzco smiled impishly rushing out into the floor and laughing at their expense. "See, hah! I always get what I want!" He made a show to shake his butt at the door. "Nah-nah you um, um… um…" He tried to quickly come up with a real zinger, "…boogers! Haha, yeah! So there!" He then pranced back over toward the bed happily leaning on the side of it. "Can you believe it, Mom? A bath? Puh! I don't need a dumb bath! Dirt don't hurt me… nuh-uh! I'm naturally clean." Silence stayed behind the curtains, only the sounds of the gentling swelling shrouds answering him.

After some waiting, Kuzco slumped to the floor and fiddled with the edges of the hanging sheets dusting the floor. "I mean, the nerve of those people, right? Telling me what to do! I don't want to do it so I don't have to! I get what I want, right?" Still nothing but silence. "Mom!"

"Uh yes…" came a somewhat startled but still very weak reply, "Kuzco… you know you can have whatever you want."

"Yeah!" He bounced up, bounding into the heart of the room, spinning toward the veils.

"Just… be sure it's what you really want…"

He cocked his head as he stood, not really understanding. "Well of course what I want is what I want, silly." He watched the curtains dance as he toddled closer. "Like um…" He thought earnestly, voicing a mental list "…lots of toys, uh, my own amusement park, maybe a theme song guy… oh, and everyone has to stop what they're doing and dance with me whenever I feel like it! Ha ha, yeah… that would be funny…!" He stopped and mused happily, but only heard a soft hum from the other at this. His expression turned from eager to curious, then slightly pouty toward her. He rolled his eyes and groaned, but took a moment to glance about the room at all the gifts before them.

"And… well, you getting better!" He added quickly. "Yeah! That's pretty high up there." He nodded. "I order you to get better!"

Her breath could be heard as she tried to laugh. "Yes, sir…"

But he just kicked his feet. "So… are you going to do it this time?"

She faltered but rustling inside alerted him. "Oh Kuzco… come here…" He shuffled right up to the bedside and an arm, graying and emaciated, reached from behind the shrouds. For a second he was afraid, but he kept his stance as she patted his head gently. "You are the light in this dark world…" She slowly withdrew her arm back into the safety of her canopy. Her son stood there, forever analyzing the white fabrics, trying to understand such a cryptic comment. "You know why…?"

"Um, because I'm the Emperor?"

A weak laugh, "Heh yes… and because - "A booming snort cut the sentence short as Kuzco's bloodshot eyes snapped open to be met with the gaping maw of a slumbering Kronk. The resonating snore echoed in his ears as the guy loudly inhaled and whistled out mutters in his sleep.

 _Er… wait a minute… was I doing commentary on a flashback that turned into a memory that turned into my dream…? That's… kinda meta…._

"Go figure." Kuzco muttered to himself.

Kuzco sat up briskly in the makeshift shelter - one of the cloths Pacha had hurriedly grabbed thrown over some pitched sticks, and stared impassively at the teddy-clutching titan. He regretted having to share anything really… but especially with someone so loud…! Raising a pillow, the thought of suffocating the older crossed his mind, but he stopped himself. "No, Kuzco… you kinda need him around…"

He departed the tent groggily, and looked toward the small brush pile. Chicha's silhouette hovered at Pacha's bedside - a mat made of leaves and folded fabrics. Kuzco felt his throat catch a moment, but made his way over to her. The glow of the guarding flames gamboled around them as she carefully wiped her husband's sweating brow with a rag.

"Uh, hey…"

Chicha looked up, quickly rubbing her lids and nose for any tell-tale signs of woe. "Oh Kuzco! Um, what are you doing up?"

"Oh, well the Kronk-ster is practicing his opera routine and I, uh, just thought you could use some company…" He shuffled over to sit on a log. "Besides… I… couldn't really sleep…"

She was silent a moment, but turned back to her work. "That's… understandable…"

There was a palpable air of hesitation between them - both wanting to console the other but not really sure how. Kuzco glanced at the three children bundled up in a disheveled heap beside the log he sat on. They were sleeping soundly, peacefully it seemed.

"Huh, the Shadow Plague…" Chicha's voice startled him. "I remember it. Twenty years ago it was some mysterious affliction that swept over the kingdom." She sighed heavily as she brushed Pacha's hair out of his face. "It was strange… seemed to put those infected into a state of depression that slowly withered them away physically…" She stared at her husband, biting her lip, then studied Kuzco's distant gaze elsewhere. "But I heard it particularly affected those around the capital… and the ones they loved…" Kuzco looked back toward her, giving him a concerned eye. "Is that how you know of it? Did _you…_ know someone?"

Kuzco gawked at her for a second and rubbed his knees nervously. When he stood up and began to anxiously pace, Chicha realized what she had just asked.

"Yeah, but, ya know, it's no big deal… cuz it's not like I _really_ knew them. The old man was gone all the time apparently… eh… I don't really remember him. And well mom…" He stopped for a minute to catch his breath, and irritably scratched his head. "Aw well, anyway I didn't know her long." He rubbed his arm nervously but spied Chicha's despondent gaze. "B-but hey… th-that's not gonna happen to Pacha! It was still like three years before that happened and uh… it's like I said - Yzma found the antidote… so we'll just go up to her, make her give it to him and everything will be okay!" He snapped toward her for emphasis.

Chicha shook her head, "But this seems so much worse…" Tears started to run, as she began to finally break down. "How… do you know?"

It broke his heart to see her so beside herself, but he forced a grin and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Because I'm the Emperor." Chicha looked up at him giving her that matter-of-fact tone. "And… _I_ said so."

She stared on for a second, but laughed at this. "Oh… right…!" He wasn't sure she was entirely confident in that response, but it did seem to lighten her spirits at least.

Kuzco pulled her in for a consoling hug and patted her back. "Hey, you get some rest… I'll watch over the big guy now…" She smiled softly and shuffled over to join her sleeping children as he studied his struggling pal attentively. Sitting against the damp grass, he gazed at the bonfire sparks fly toward the stars - illuminating the pitch black night above.

The pitch black flickered as the mirror spun in clawed hands, angrily awaiting the arrival of an accomplice. Montezuma's bulging eyes were glued to the dim foyer amassed with the fleeting shadow-controlled followers as his claws clicked the rim of the smoking mirror irregularly. Finally, a whisp of shadow snaked along the lobby to below 'his' seat, and the crooked hunched-over Totec appeared. He fidgeted again like usual, but with more of an apprehension to him as he slowly removed his hood and lifted his Neanderthal mug to his leader.

"T-TLALOC D-DEAD DEAD! MASTER!" He bellowed. The guy really did only have one volume level.

Monty stopped spinning his disc and tapped it to his maw in thought. "Hm… really now?" He lifted himself up with unseen force and faced his companion. "Do… you think I don't know that?"

"UHHHhhh…" Totec began to cringe back, fiddling with his hanging earlobes as he looked about nervously.

"I mean… heh heh, " Montezuma began to quickly descend the stairs with a controlled fury mounting in every step, "I have _this_ magic disc that allows me to track their every move and all… heh, and _you_ don't think I KNOW that _Tlaloc_ , one of my most trusted _shade masters_ is DEAD…? While _you_ … YOU… the complete buffoon of our group just let them ESCAPE!?" He held back his rage as he confronted the taller. "How hard is it…" He seethed in annoyance, "…to KILL THEM!" Totec whined like a dog as Monty repeatedly bashed the obsidian mirror against the larger's skull, sending him groveling. "Isn't that what you're good for? The killing!? And you come back here with the wrong one dead!? Ugh! Why can't I just get what I want!" He sent one last good hit over the giant's head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Montezuma heaved in fury as he looked around at the semi-aware crowd. Crossing his arms he attempted to compose himself, but still irritated, he let out a roar toward the spectators - who sheepishly stepped back. He growled in annoyance over the whimpering Totec - who desperately tried to beseech him.

"FIRE! HE USE FIRE ON ME! FIRE ON SHADOWS! FIRE BAD!" He wailed.

Monty took a moment to touch his own burnt face. "Yes… 'fire bad'…" then snapped his dreadlocked head back vehemently, "But not as BAD as that reference!"

"Oh, Master…" A breathy female voice accost him. He whipped around to see a curvaceous figure doused in shadow approaching him. Her svelte earthen-toned legs strutted toward him - barely discernable from beneath the trailing chaotic shadowy cloaks. Plump pouches strapped to her hips held the mess together and helped to accentuate her already voluptuous figure as she gaited. "I could hear your tirade entirely from the other end…" She pulled back her hood with dark painted fingers to reveal colorless eyes against an elegant gold-plastered face, vertical ochre patches adorning her brow and muzzle - framed by a stringy pewter plume of hair which she shook luxuriously in the dim light. She allowed her fashionably dismal fur coat to slip down to her elbows, her skin breathing in the hazy glow around them. Outlines of mud coating separated the gold of her barely covered body from the dark hewn shoulders, sides and limbs.

Montezuma looked her over. "Hm. Yes, well, Laz… I'm so sorry if I interrupted your beauty sleep or something but I'm kinda in the middle of punishing the dog, so…"

"So…" she whispered to him as she caressed his shoulders sensually, "maybe you just need to relax…"

Her caught her hands sternly and stared at her. "The only way I'll relax is when my plan comes to fruition. Now, unless you have some news or something important to show me.. I suggest you stop wasting my time!" He brusquely threw her back, but she kept her cool with only a mild grunt.

She dusted herself off and fixed her hair, firing back "As a matter of fact, I do have something to show you…!" Montezuma raised a brow, not really sure if she was being serious. She giggled and playfully hugged her body. "You wanna see…?"

He just stared at her, but after a moment he turned to Totec still cringing. "Stay, boy. Bad dog." Then he walked off to follow Laz.

"…Mictlan and I never expected to find things like _this_ in the palace…" she explained as they strode through an opening in the shape of a creature's mouth. The jaws clamped shut behind them as they waltzed over to another strange stone figure; an odd piranha-looking demon with two distinctive bottom fangs perched on a wall above a semicircular platform.

Monty studied it extensively. "Hm. Well, it is no doubt an interesting piece of work but the craftsmanship leaves something to be desired…"

" _Not_ the sculpture, silly!" She flapped her free arm nonchalantly as her other gripped a certain tooth. Pulling it down, immediately a switch activated - the platform flipping them behind the wall into a dimly-lit contraption. Laz insolently eyed the confused Monty who frantically tried to regain his posture after falling in head first.

" _Please remain seated and keep your arms and legs in at all times…"_

"W-what-" before Montezuma could utter another word, the two of them careened down the coaster track, skidding along the exquisitely designed trail and tunnels. The shadow leader screamed in surprise and fury, growing hot under his collar as Laz just laughed - enjoying the ride and his misfortune. "Ahhhh! WHAT IS THISS!" The track stopped at a ledge, flipped them out - Monty cart wheeling down to the hard ground below. He lifted himself up feebly, only to realize he was in some strange get-up of lab attire and… a peculiar projecting hairpiece?

"Wasn't that fuuuun…?' Laz swooned jokingly. "And we get these kitschy clothes as souvenirs!" She danced around in her baggy garments, then looked curiously at Monty shaking in rage. "Hm. That look really suits you." He jumped up and ripped off the lab coat in tatters, throwing the wig down in rage and stomping on it until it was a mess of synthetic fibers. Laz backed away cautiously. "Wow… you really _do_ need to relax…"

Monty let loose a kick, sending the rug plopping on the ground next to a pair of thick red muscular legs sitting crossed on the ground. The burly outline of a sitting figure cloaked in the familiar shadowy robe, his painted façade shown as a red-plastered man with a pallid pigment skeleton design, belonged to his last cohort, Mictlan. The broad-bodied bald man completely engulfed in war-paint sat there in the middle of the floor eating some kind of meat and looking worse-for-wear. The once pristine jaguar cloaks were matted and shredded with some sort of animal attack evident.

Montezuma raised a brow. "What… happened to _you_?"

"Wrong lever." He stated hoarsely.

"Is… _that_ … crocodile meat?"

"Yep. And I got fresh leather…" Mictlan pulled out a prepared hide from behind him.

"Oooh, I can make a handbag from that!" Laz squealed girlishly, snatching the crocodile skin up and inspecting it. Montezuma's goggle eyes flinched at the woman from behind his band of black paint.

"Laz… " He angrily hissed, "WHAT _exactly_ was the purpose of showing me this place?"

"Hm, oh right!" She tossed the skin aside. "Well, I thought it would make for a great workshop of sorts - I _do_ need a big place to perform my spells and chants," she motioned around the interior of the spacious room, once housing contraptions, alchemic gewgaws, tubes and bubbling beakers but now a cobweb-infested storage area full of broken crates and curios "…but mostly to accentuate my next point; Mictlan and I have found that there's many not-so-secret passageways and rooms within the confines of this palace…. Perhaps there are more 'hidden' things of interest, no…?" She stepped in close, "Like… I was thinking, Manku's golden staff?"

Montezuma recoiled angrily at the sound of the name, "Manku…" then concentrating on the last part, "…'s staff!?" A flash of memory plagued him - a familiar silhouette, backed by blazing light, upraised a golden scepter topped by a clear orb under the imperial sunrise design. The blinding radiance still burned against Montezuma's skin as he rubbed his visible facial scars. "Yes…! I would very much like that wretched instrument be found as well. It is perhaps the only thing that could defeat us now. It must not fall into anyone else's hands!"

Laz clapped her hands together exuberantly. "Way ahead of ya, boss!" She turned to the other cohort and screamed harshly, "HEY MIC!" Mictlan just casually looked up from digging in a random crate, now sporting a dusty frilly hat. "HOP TO IT!"

"Yes, dear." And the brutish bloke bounded off briskly.

"Well, there we be!" Laz announced coolly, but Monty just raised a brow. "Oh don't worry… if it's here, we'll find it! Buuut, now to help you with your little problem…" She strutted over to him and slinked up as close as she could, stroking her dark fingers against his bare chest.

" _Little_ problem?"

"…this…" he followed her fingers downward to the obsidian disc hanging at his neck. She gently lifted it away and viewed her work. "My tracking spell is fading, and without any blood to use, we'll have to resort to another method of following them…" She sat the smoking mirror down and fumbled with her hip-mounted pouches, pulling out a handful of dirt. Quickly she shoved the mess into her mouth and chomped the clump around in full jaws. Spatting the chewed-up clay back out into her hands, she smacked it together, expertly sculpting between her digits. Giving an impatient Monty a dirt-crusted toothy grin, she placed three small barely-detailed figures upon the ground around the dark mirror.

"…In knowing about Tlaloc's passing, we should be a smidge bit more careful, shan't we?" Laz explained as she fiddled with another pouch of dirt - this kind much darker, "so I've constructed these little babies, my _Cihuacotl…_ ~!" She sprinkled the dark powder over the figurines, then made a spiraling trail into the mirror. The small abyss faltered in and out, but rippled to life for a moment. Laz sprinkled the same powder into the scene below.

Kuzco dusted dirt out of his hair. How'd that get there?

Laz dusted her hands off and giggled. "Alright, they're bound to their target… now the fun part begins…" Monty watched curiously as she kneeled behind her mini-constructs, letting her hands dance over them and the sandy trails, chanting an ill-intended incantation.

" _Daughters of my dark powers,_

 _Arise from the dirt given life;_

 _A form anew from the shadows_

 _And depths defined by our strife…"_

The dirt lit up in phosphorus trails that fed into the mirror. The streams lifted, hovering in the spell, creating strings connected to each of the three slowly contorting figures. The Cihuacotl stretched and danced under Laz's conducting hands.

"… _Before my spell fades_

 _Follow the trail into day_

 _And bring back our prey!"_

The clay trio hollered out banshee calls as they shifted into different feminine forms under the pale lights - taking sharp dirt-formed physiques. Each was a distinct size, with gritty hair-like tendrils sprouting from behind cracking mud masks in the shape of fanged skulls. Their spike riddled limbs were disjointed from a gravity-defying torso like floating craggy bones of putty. The lines connecting the mirror slowly disintegrated into their temples and their hollowed out eyes suddenly came to life as glowing red orbs - alert and understanding their mission. The Cihuacotl wailed out and darted out of the room over each other.

Laz bid adieu to her underlings. "Oh meeee! They're so beautiful! I think I might faint!" Then, gathering her composure and clearing her throat, "Ya see… why send someone who could, ya know, _potentially die_ to do the 'dirty work' - tee hee… pun intended - when my babies are immortal… and unlike us, don't have the whole aversion to light hampering them." She winked to her boss.

"Hm, very good Laz…" Montezuma praised in passing, picking up his obsidian ornament and adjusting it again on his neck. "I guess I can relax _a little_ now…"

Laz smirked coyly. "You need help with that…?"

The two of them leered at each other as a pair of small eyes above watched from a cranny. Bucky leaned in curiously, then drew back disgusted - darting away with a squeak through the zigzagging crag. Popping his head from a knothole outside, he caught a glimpse of three strange figures sprinting off into the creeping sunrise. Certain of their destination, he puffed his puny chest out in bravado and dashed off after them.

As the morning light slowly seeped through the trees, Tipo sprung up from his blankets screaming at the top of his lungs "AHHH, WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

Kuzco and Chicha startled - the latter staggering awake and wiping drool from her face. Kuzco clutched his chest, sure he about had a heart attack, "Why would you wake up _SCREAMING_ that!?"

"Oh… cuz um…" Tipo calmed himself, "I had a dream that some shadow lady made monster skeleton people out of dirt and sent them after us…!" The others blinked at him. "But, it _was_ just a dream I guess."

Kuzco and Chicha exchanged looks but then Chacka pipped up. "Well I had a dream that Monty guy beat up that scary weird guy…"

"Oookay, we're heading out!" Kuzco announced abruptly. He jumped up and bolted to the tent. "Eh, Kronk - up, up, up and at 'em!"

Kronk stumbled out of the shelter, yawning as the others gathered their things. "F-five more minutes, Papi…"

Kuzco frowned and snapped in his face. "Hey, hey, hey, we don't have time! Pacha's not doin' so well, remember!?" He pointed back with his thumb towards the family desperately yet carefully trying to lift the unconscious Pop into their repaired cart. Pacha plopped into it roughly, moaning. Kuzco, Chicha and the kids winced nervously.

Kronk slapped himself awake. "Oh oh right! Don't worry chief, I'm on it….!" Quicker then they could bat an eye, he slipped back into the tent and quick-changed into his scout master uniform, saluting.

Kuzco raised a skeptic brow. "Where'd ya get the digs?"

"A Junior Chipmunk always has an extra change of clothes in case of such emergencies…"

Tipo and Chacka quickly did the same themselves. "Right!"

Kuzco looked around and between them. "Okay-no really, where are you all getting the clothes cuz I could use a new pair myself…"

"We really shouldn't be questioning this right now." A deadpanned Chicha holding Yupi responded.

Kronk squinted toward the now rising sun, scratching his chin and sniffing the air. Wetting his index finger with his tongue he rose it into the breeze. He made a show of scrutinizing the sky as Chicha and the kids situated blankets around Pacha and Kuzco hurriedly shoved their tent cloak back into the satchel. "Hm…" Kronk thought aloud, "Alright, we need to head into the mountains due southeast about 300 kilometers, ascending roughly 3,000 meters to the elevated lake where we'll cross frog-infested waters to a booby-trapped island on which Yzma lives in a cave there..."

Kuzco stopped and stared. "Oh, that's it?"

Kronk spun around and cracked that same dumb smile. "Yup."

Kuzco slung the satchel over his shoulder. "Sounds easy." Of course he was being sarcastic. He joined the others next to Pacha, twirling Tipo's hat around playfully as he walked. "Looks like we got a hike cut out for us…" He slapped on his own cap…no, wait… it was Pacha's hat….

He glanced down at his ailing friend but he felt Chicha's hand on his shoulder. She smiled, though still with a bit of worry present on her face. "Ya know, that cap fits you pretty well…"

"I dunno, it's a little large…"

"Really now!? As big as _your_ head is?!"

"Very funny…"

Kronk kicked dirt over the last vestiges of flame then, checking the position of the sun one more time, he bounded over to them with his arm extended into a point. "Thatta way, everyone! Oh boy, I can't wait to see Yzma again…" Kuzco frowned deeply at this as the group began to venture forward.

"Yeah…" He responded as he struggled to move Pacha's cart, "…it'll be… unh! A _real_ JOY to see her endearing face!" With a shove, he finally got the wagon rolling - almost plowing over Tipo and Chacka in the process. They yelped as the young emperor fell forward, accidentally ramming into the back of unflinching Kronk's legs.

"Uh… should I push…?" Kronk thought.

Kuzco's face alit for a moment but then he hesitated. "No, wait. I want to do it."

"You sure you can… ehh… handle it?"

"Oh Kronk…" Kuzco tisked, heaving himself wearily back up. "Puh-lease! Can't you _tell_ I am in peak physical condition?" Kronk looked baffled by this question as scrawny Kuzco continued to struggle with the cart. "Nothing's…unh!… going to stop…erg… this mag-ni-tude of - eh!…machismo!" Kuzco took a breathless moment to pant. Tipo and Chacka looked at each other once again and nodded in unspoken agreement.

Chacka produced rope from her own pack. "Don't worry! We'll help!" With that, she and her brother quickly knotted a makeshift harness around him and the cart shafts. "- A tether of twine secured safely with double hitch knots!"

Kuzco tugged slightly annoyed at the restrictions. "Oh yes, yippee! Look at me… I'm a llama!" Then realizing what he said, he quickly recoiled at the memory. "Look, let's just get this over with shall we…!?" He marched forward, desperately dragging the weight of the wagon through the damp grasses. Puddles from the previous rainfall still pitted the forested earth and the cart was not exactly the sturdiest. Chicha and the kids trailed alongside, keeping it steady as they heaved forward toward the mountainous terrain.

The journey was not the most pleasant as they soon found out. Sure, the landscapes they passed through were breathtaking - worn trails snaking into the twisting orchid-covered slopes backed by alpine mists; elevated valleys of frolicking vicuna, great glamorous ancestral ruins feeding moss overgrowth; and the terraced nests of condors peered over from rock face roosts at the out-of-place travelers. But for all the beauty they encountered, was the living weight they carried behind them and the knowledge that with each passing day time was getting thinner.

As they climbed higher and higher into the mountains, the trek tested their limits. With each sandaled step, each lug of the rope, each windswept night, each potential predator they faced… it felt heavier. Kuzco was really starting to feel the torment of manual labor, though at his own desire. Kronk even had to force him to let him take over pulling the cart a bit for fear that they were loosing speed… and the struggling emperor looked about ready to pass out. Each of the party took turns watching over their fallen fellow Pacha - periodically sponging the poor guy's brow and repositioning his covers.

The days crept by, not nearly fast enough, in this _ten-day_ hike. Everyone prayed to the gods that they'd survive… especially their patriarch.

On the fourth day, Tipo and Chacka caught a few fish in a chance river.

The fifth day, Chicha made a run through everyone's injuries - quickly snapping Kuzco's back in place with chiropractic expertise, applying bandages to a scrape on Kronk's arm, plucking a thorn from a yelping Tipo's hand and giving Yupi's finger boo-boo a kiss.

The sixth day, Kronk managed to tame an alpaca into pulling the cart, at which Kuzco burst into gracious tears and promptly passed out.

All the while, back in the capital, Montezuma made himself home in the growing darkness. Perched in the prince's place, he entertained himself at the expense of the shadow-possessed populace. Fine food and a dinner theater grappling match were at his fingertips as young women stolidly stood around him fanning and providing fabulous fabrics. Such a lavish lifestyle had him hark back to days long gone. His lackies Mictlan and Totec scoured through the palace for hidden treasures, which they did indeed find… but not to their master's liking. The only thing he was interested in was the fabled staff…! Through the city streets and villagers' niches the two pursued the object of desire. Those who hadn't been affected by the shadows' reign yet pleaded with the invaders, but to no avail. The hulking brutes bombarded through their homes and stations - ransacking their wares and destroying whatever they felt like, leaving many families in tears and distress.

Old man Rudy peered around a wall from under a cloak, gasping. A similarly cloaked gang of individuals whispered from behind him at the sight of their city slowly dismantling. Where was the emperor? What happened to him? They filtered back cautiously into the recesses of the growing night.

Sorceress Laz laughed hoarsely from _her lair_ surrounded by pale pastel smoke as she peered into a swirling pile of dirt under her puppeteer hands.

As they made another ascent, Kuzco looked back toward the north-west as another sunset faded behind mountain peaks. He swore he could see dark clouds beyond, threatening to swallow the resting sun. It felt too ominous in his bones.

By the eighth evening, Pacha's labored breathing and ever-flinching countenance had stymied, which Chicha was not sure was a good thing. She studied his face longingly but kept her face stern. He would tell her to keep a 'stiff upper lip'… but her lip was already as stiff as she could make it. She closed her eyes in thought for a moment then made her way back over to the sleeping form of Yupi, patting him on the head before continuing on to a pot boiling over open flames. Taking the nearby stick she had at the side, she stirred the hot water, wrapping the colored fabrics stewing within around it. She pulled each of them out, quickly throwing them over a diagonal line.

Chacka bounded back to camp holding a sack of water. She hesitated for a second, seeing the worry in her mom's back - but she said nothing, maneuvering onto her father's side.

"Um, hey Dad…!" She fumbled. "You're thirsty I bet!" She was half-hoping Pacha would say something back, but when he didn't she sadly shrugged and lifted the canteen up to his mouth. Slow gulps responded in kind thankfully. "There ya go! At least you're still drinking… that's… good…" She heard a catch of breath from behind her and when she turned she saw Chicha had her hand to her mouth. Chacka could feel tears start to well in her eyes, understanding the severity of their situation but not really wanting to accept it as fact. Their dad really was DYING! She threw herself over the cart. "Hey dad, just a f-few more days! J-just hang on please!" Chicha turned toward her wailing daughter. "I-I promise I won't sneak bugs into your clothes and blame it on Tipo anymore… and I-I'll even clean the llama pins for a week! Please, just don't DIE!"

Yupi jolted awake. "Dad… die?" He immediately started bawling.

Chicha grabbed him up quickly and hugged her daughter tightly. Chacka could now see the tears, but she was also sporting a smile. "Oh babies… you're so strong. But we have to _stay_ strong for him. Our love will keep him alive no matter what…" She gingerly rubbed her husband's head.

Tipo shook water from his face in the nearby mountain spring. He sat with his midriff wrapped in a bathing cloth upon a submerged stone and stared at his feet through ripples in his reflection - he thought he did kinda look like his dad. Tadpoles effortlessly nibbled at his toes and the only sound was of the trickling brook. He looked toward the deeper end at the lanky form of his surrogate brother facing away.

Kuzco flipped his sopping hair off his back as he inspected his now barely visible scar on his right arm. He sighed to himself. If only the pain nagging at his back would go away as easily. He rubbed his stiff neck, wincing. Well, maybe he wasn't imagining the pain after all...

He closed his eyes and let his body seep back into the soothing water - his face wreathed by locks of thick hair. Tipo watched as he let himself float there with his thoughts.

The younger fiddled a bit with his own thoughts before finally speaking up. "Uh.. Kuzco…?"

"Hm…?"

"Um well.. Our dad's kinda like your dad right?"

He kept his eyes shut and mused on it. "Heh… nah, he's better."

Tipo cocked his head as the older began to back stroke over towards him. "Oh… um, okay then."

"Tipo…" Kuzco situated himself against Tipo's sitting stone. "I don't really know my _real_ dad… only from stories people have told me. So, yeah, for all intents and purposes, Pacha IS my dad." He folded his arms and looked the kid dead in the eye. "And… ya know, I don't count on loosing another one…"

"B-but what if Yzma doesn't want to help him!? What if… what if we don't make it!" Tipo cried out. "W-what if…!?"

Kuzco's brow furrowed. "What if the sky falls!" He snapped. Tipo startled. "Look, I'm not gonna allow that negativity, got it! Pacha ain't dying so stop thinking that!" Tipo sniffed as Kuzco's face shifted in uncertainty, "I mean c'mon… what kinda twist would that be, right!?" He folded his arms once again and stated pointedly, "That just doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah… I guess you're right…"

"Well yeah!" He studied Tipo's crestfallen expression. "So… wash that gloomy face off…" He splashed the kid lightly. Tipo chuckled in spite of himself and returned a playful splash. The two of them slapped the water back and forth, forgetting their troubles for the time being. Kuzco grabbed Tipo in a headlock and noogied the struggling tike as he giggled uncontrollably, then seeing an opportunity finished him off with a wet-willy! Tipo screeched out in a combination of disgust and tickled humor as he tried to escape this comical torment.

Kronk rounded the bend hurriedly leading their alpaca toting a bundle of sticks on it's back. An alert look graced his face but upon seeing the two joshing around he laughed heartedly. "Haha! You call _that_ splashing?" He threw the alpaca's harness around a small sapling, at which it began to graze around casually, and swiftly stripped into his loin cloth - vaulting himself toward the water at the other swimmers' surprise. The resulting splash sent Tipo almost into the air and Kuzco smacking roughly face-first against the sitting rock.

The irritated emperor spun around, lifting a veil of soaked hair to eye the others laughing. He stealthily snatched up a stick and wielded it, ready to whap Kronk with it. Kronk backed away nervously but before Kuzco had a chance to exact his revenge, a rustling in the bushes alerted them. The trembling of leaves became more and more violent as something approached - something significant! The three lads huddled in anticipation - Kronk sporting an anxious attack pose, Kuzco with the upraised twig and Tipo clutching onto the former's leg. Closer and closer the creature came, stalking upon them. It leapt out at them from the overgrowth! …and revealed itself to be…. none other than Bucky!

For a moment they screamed, but Kronk instantly broke out in glee - rushing to the beige squirrel and grabbing his tiny body into a suffocating hug. "BUUUUCKYYY! YOU'RE AAALLIIIIVE!" Bucky squeaked for air desperately and smacked the big guy's mitts. He released his friend apologetically with a smile. Kuzco let his weapon drop with a plop into the water, making his way back to the shore where a bundle of fabrics and his llama-wittled comb waited for him. The nearby curious alpaca sniffed and tried to gnaw at the clothes, but Kuzco yanked it back, sticking his tongue out at it's unsuccessful attempt.

Kronk pet his fragile rodent friend's head with two fingers. "Oooh, sorry there buddy! I'm so glad you're alive!" Bucky peeped in response. "Oh, well we're on our way to see Yzma to cure Pacha from that weird shadow plague thingy - eh, long story - What about you? You have to tell us what's been happening!" Bucky cleared his throat and began to frantically charade - issuing squeals and motions with dramatic suggestions as Kronk and Tipo nodded along. "Uh huh… half the capital, huh? … yeah… okay… oh, oh yeah, definitely! Hm… sounds interesting… Hey, Kuzco!" Kronk hollered back over to the newly clothed emperor combing his hair. "Ever heard of some mystic staff your dad might've had…?"

Kuzco spun his head around and raised a brow suspiciously. "Dad…? Um… nooo…"

"Ok well, Bucky says those creeps are after that too…"

"Greeaat… I'll add that to my growing list of 'Things they're talking about that I know nothing about'…!" He flicked the comb in his wrist.

"Wait a sec…" Tipo mused, "We've been traveling for eight days… how'd _you_ find us, Bucky?"

Bucky twiddled his paws and chirped to his translator Kronk. "Oh, 'just followed the scary skeleton ladies'!" They all took a second to process this. "Wait… WHAT!"

"Skeleton ladies!?" Kuzco cried back. As soon as he did, three strange red-eyed figures appeared screeching from the brush behind him and brandishing dark claws. He gasped and twirled towards them in shock, just fast enough to be snatched back into the thicket himself.

"Kuzco!" Kronk screamed. He leapt out of the water, tossing the alpaca's reins to Tipo. "Take Snowflake back to camp and warn the others - I got a job to do!" He sprinted off with determination.

"Kronk, wait!" Tipo called, waving around a cloak. "You forgot your clothes!"


End file.
